Education of deaf children from ethnic minorities

1. Education of deaf children from ethnic minorities Examples of good practice in Flanders K. Paeschuyzen, L. Geeraerts & G. Lichtert 19 FEAPDA congress Geneva 14-16 October 2005

2. CONTENT • INTRODUCTION 1.1. A Brief Sketch 1.2. Classification according to social load 1.3.The place of group 3 within Maslow’s Pyramid 1.4. Intercorrelation of the social load and the communicationgap

3. 2. GOOD PRACTICE 2.1. Developing a theoretical founded framework 2.2. Searching for solutions in practice: 2 examples 2.2.a. Coping with group 2 2.2.b. A mothers’ group 2.2.c. Coping with group 3 2.2.d. A real life example of the family Bogdanovic 3. CONCLUSION

4. 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 A brief Sketch 1.2. Classification according to social load 1.3. Maslow’ pyramid 1.4. Intercorrelation social load - communication

5. 1.1. A brief sketch • Jonghelinckshof is one of the six schools for the hearing impaired in Flanders. • 46% of the population is of Belgian origin • 54% come from dozen different countries • The population reflects the situation in the metropolis Antwerp: 50% of the children does not speak Dutch at home. • The intake of children of foreign origin started mainly in 2001.

7. Child characteristics Hearing Loss

8. Child characteristicsadditional inner child problems

9. Child characteristics type of additional inner problems

10. Parental communicationlanguage understood

11. Parental communicationlanguage used at home

12. 1.2.Classification according to social load 3 Groups: • Regular families • Socially loaded families • Socially seriously loaded families

13. Determing the social load

14. Group 1: Regular families • 54% • Mainly Belgian families • Few Moroccan and Turkish families • Good functioning in society • We can apply traditional working methods

15. Group 2: Socially loaded families • 19% • Mainly Moroccan and Turkish • Family members of first, second en third generation • Primary migration of workers to work in the mines • Noticeable when looking at the functioning of the families

16. Group 3: socially seriously loaded families • 27% • Almost all are in an asylum or regularisation procedure • A matter of surviving

17. A combination of different factors forms a much heavier burden than the mere addition of the separate factors • insecure residence in Belgium • financial problems • not mastered the Dutch language • illiteracy

18. belonging to a stigmatised population group that gets fewer chances Limited or no access to the basic social services such as medical care, child benefit, Public Centre for Social Welfare (OCMW)

19. 1.3. The place of group 3 within Maslow’s Pyramid • Out of necessity located in the bottom layer of the pyramid • Each day is a struggle for life or physiological needs

20. However we notice big differences in individual functioning of the families according to their situation in the country of origin If the necessary residence documents are in order, it is more likely that a family will function at a higher lever in Belgium when they did so in their home country Roma have been using surviving mechanisms for centuries. They have never acquired the required capacities to function at the hire levels.

21. School and therapeutic training are situated in the top layer of the pyramid: self actualisation. It is a huge challenge to provide a supply for the children of this third group in the higher layers of the pyramid.

22. 1.4. Intercorrelation rs (N= 52) ** p < .001

23. 2. GOOD PRACTICE 2.1. Developing a theoretically founded framework 2.2. Searching for solutions in practice for the different groups

24. 2.1. Developing a theoretical founded framework

25. Our traditional frames of reference and methods of assistance do not come up. A number of initiatives were sponteaniously taken (communication in foreign languages, calling on interpreters and intercultural mediators, regular visits to the families, provision of financial contributions, starting a mothers’ group…)

26. Gradually we experienced the need to make new agreements within our institute (most pressing agreements about the collaboration with the audiologic department)

27. Agreements based on • A theoretical framework in which we first clearly defined our new population and their problems by a number of parameters • A description of the legal instructions with regard to the refugee question • A set of guidelines with regard to the ethical methodical and practical matters

28. 2.2. Searching for solutions in practice: 2 examples

29. 2.2.a. Coping with GROUP 2 2.2.b. mothers’ group for group 2 2.2.c. Coping with GROUP 3 2.2.d. A real life example of a family of group 3

30. 2.2.a. Coping with group 2 in general • Cooperatives with other organisations such as • home counseling • Interpreters & Intercultural mediaters • A few adjustments of our traditional working methods • Mothers’ group instead of a parents group

31. 2.2.b. A Mothers’ group

32. A Mothers’ group • Started in 2004-2005 • 6 meetings in one school year • For the group of children in the nursery school Where most of the children of group 2 are in

33. New wine in a old barrel • We have already used the methodology of parents’ groups for years in the organisation • A couple of adjustments were needed to make the groups more accessible for our new population

34. Objectives • A contact forum for parents • An exchange of experiences with regard to the handicap • Information exchange with regard to the handicap • A lower threshold to see the social worker as a contact person

35. Evening Mothers + Fathers Invitation by letter The academic quarter of an hour Morning Only mothers A personal invitation during house visits and by telephone The Moroccan half an hour (opportunity for personal questions) Adjustments for the present population

36. Only the social worker leads the group Intercultural mediaters (interpret language and culture + experience with methodology) Respect for religious customs and feasts Mothers can bring their babies with them when there’s no child care

37. Results • We brought six mothers together, from the first meeting on, there was a feeling of solidarity in the group • The testimonies of Deaf adults were very effective to reach the goal of informing the mothers. They have had a great influence on the mothers’ view on their child's deafness. • Experiences were mutually exchanged. • The relation with the social workers were strengthened. Mothers dare to ask their questions more easily.

38. 2.2.c. Coping with group 3 in general • No readymade solutions • Searching for good cooping: • Integral assistance package that goes beyond the boundaries of our school is necessary • Creating a relationship based on mutual trust with the home front • Giving as much stability as possible • Exempts from the cost • External motivation helps • Network development

39. 2.2.d. A real life example of a family of group 3

40. I. Brief introduction of the family • Family Bogdanovic • Roma from Bosnia • Fled because of acts of war, economic and social reasons • From Bosnia to Italy, Germany and ended up in Belgium • All family members are legally in Belgium except from father

41. Both parents are illiterate • though mother speaks Romanes, Serbo-Croatian, Italian and German • Father is often absent • Mother takes the care and responsibility for the family on herself

42. 2 1 3 Familysystem ? 4 Indira °2005 Segnia °1991 5 1 Vesna Juliano °1983 Al Capone °2003 2 3 Mother °1964 draaibare Elisabeta °1985 Al Pacino °2001 Rasema °1989 Cobra °1999 Father °1965 Bosco 1 Genita °1995 Nejib °1991 Simone °1993 2

43. II. The concepts concerning the handicap vary from ours • The handicap of the boys was received as less serious than that of the girl, because she will traditionally be married off. • Explanation for the disorder: Mother thinks she is to blame for the handicap. She found the suggestion that maybe there is something in the blood very strange.

44. Distrust of our medical ‘solutions’ Magical thinking: the family is mainly Islamic but goes on a pilgrimage in honor of the Madonna to resolve the hearing problem. (another Roma family goes to a ‘miracle doctor)

45. III. In our contacts: 4 problem areas Difficulties with regard to meeting the scholar conditions / Regular school attendance Adjusting hearing aids / cochlear implant Pedagogic work in a surviving environment; Communication gap between parents and children and between parents, school and society as a whole.

46. 1.Difficulties with regard to meeting the scholar conditions / Regular school attendance because of

47. 1.a. Insecurity of existence, surviving attempts and nomadic existence • An insecure residence statue • No stabile housing • No experience in handling school gear and clothing • Personal Hygiene does not meet our expectations

48. 1.b. The family does not have the school tradition we expect them to have • Both parents have little school experience and are both illiterate • Experiences of discrimination and bullying at school • Afraid to let the children come to school because of their own negative experience • Distrust of the dominant culture because of negative experiences

49. The negative school experiences counterbalance the results Although they want their children to learn how to read, write and calculate

50. 1.c.Difficult access to the right services • Such as a school for the deaf children