Deaf babies: their language rights are violated.

by webmaster on Oct.28, 2008, under ASL

All hearing babies got their language rights automatically while most of Deaf babies don’t. Their human rights and language rights have been violated almost every time when they were born!

Your inputs are always welcome except negative attacks and irrelevant responses. Constructive discussions will be published.

15 Comments for this entry

Tami
October 28th, 2008 on 10:28 pm
Great discussion! As a hearing parent, I have wondered for years why the language options for Deaf babies and children continue to include non-languages such as Signed English, SEE, or Cued Speech? Also how is partial hearing through assistive devices including hearing aids or cochlear implants fully accessible to the spoken English language? I agree with you that we would never deny a hearing baby access to language but we take years and years to debate ways to present to parents non-biased options of communication for their Deaf babies. I am always perplexed that ASL is not the automatic first visual language of Deaf babies when hearing babies are automatically exposed to spoken language. It does make a person wonder what rights do Deaf babies really have…
Jean Boutcher
October 28th, 2008 on 10:54 pm
The word from DBC must spread in the USA that deaf babies be exposed NOT TO any artifical languages, including SEE#, SEE#2, L.O.V.E., or Cued Speech but to a natural language, namely, ASL.
Degraded Deaf person
October 28th, 2008 on 11:05 pm
David,

Yes, I agree that the so-call dominating “hearing” culture have degraded the “Deaf” culture which the Deaf babies must conform the hearing society in ways of adapting the majority’s communicative method which is oral(auditory) and deny the visual method of communication for those that lost their hearing ability that need to learn sign language but denied and must adapt to the hearing society.

The best solution to the problem of those culture that need visual language that been demanded or required by the hearing society to learn auditory communication is to go for bilingual method, American Sign Language and English or French language to be able to function fully in the the society. But unfortunately, the narrow-minded dominated decision makers(hearing culture) rule that the Deaf must learn auditory style communication for their (hearing society) own benefit, the hearing society’s needs of the Deaf community’s benefit to function fully in the society by being “hearing-ized”, being auditorally-ized for the hearing community regardless of their (Deaf community) needs to be normalized for their own benefit in communication reality which is visual.

This needs to be rectified about the dominated hearing society of their own self-interest benefit’s communicability desire’s needs rather than the Deaf society’s need to at least have some communication skills to be able to have a normal sociality means in their culture.

Think of how selfish this mentality of the self-interest minority hearing society that what to control how it defines themselves.

And Yes,…….How ironic it is, but it is the fact that is going on right now in our daily life and seems that those(majority of the hearing people) haven’t notice it yet how oppressed and innocently they’ve shown to be.

How can those Deaf community can comprehend these so call intelligent hearing community to understand their misguided knowledge about Deaf people seems to be too insignificant to have any compassion about their desire to have a normal communication reality ?…..Can they (hearing society) be comprehendible? For over 100 years, it seems not!

Deaf community need to educate the hearing society…..BIG TIME!

Enough is Enough

Let’s do something about it.

God Bless you(Of those dominated self-interest hearing people that needs it!),
The Degraded Deaf Person
Barb DiGi
October 29th, 2008 on 8:03 am
Hi David,

Excellent points! You have provided these two groups which are communication options and language. The problem is that there are choices that parents thought they could pick this or that especially to fit in their goals which tend to be English-oriented based. It is the weight of their values and the outside influences that dont support ASL. Too many of them are not informed about the benefits of bilingualism. I am proud to say that DBC has been working on getting involved with Early Hearing Detection and Intervention and developing resources and materials to spread the facts and perpetuate the myths. Yes, DBC has been doing something about it alright!
CheryLfromMA
October 29th, 2008 on 1:52 pm
Hi, beautiful said..agreed 100%…we continue fighting for ASL rights
CheryLfromMA
October 29th, 2008 on 1:59 pm
forgot to add..like Jo Frost from “SuperNanny” said ASL is a mandatory
webmaster
October 29th, 2008 on 5:21 pm
Hi Tami,

Yes you are right about all babies that should be exposed to natural languages (spoken or visual). They should not be excluded at all. If so, it is a crime to take languages away from any baby. I really appreciate your commitment to Deaf babies and their parents/families.

Deafchip
webmaster
October 29th, 2008 on 5:25 pm
Hi Jean,

Yes, DBC has worked hard to spread out because it already has over 35 DBC chapters all over USA and Canada. SOuth Africa has joined too. More and more parents are contacting DBC for help. DBC is working damn hard to spread out positive messages about bilingualism to parents and professionals. It is a long way and we must keep going. Thanks for your great message!

Deafchip
webmaster
October 29th, 2008 on 5:29 pm
Hi Degraded Deaf,

I understand how you feel about that based on your personal and social experiences. That is not easy but I am very pleased that you have found your light (ASL and Deaf Culture) It is very important for parents to be aware that communication options are taking language rights away from their own beloved Deaf babies. They need to know that babies/children should be exposed to two languages, ASL and English. We need to spread that out

Thanks for your wonderful support for Deaf and hard of hearing babies!

Deafchip
webmaster
October 29th, 2008 on 5:32 pm
Hi Barb,

Yes yes, no question about that! They need to be informed about bilingualism. Unfortunately, they do not know much about that and fell into entrapment of anti Sign language groups. Anti Sign Language groups should be prosecuted for a crime of language right violation as well as language cleansing. It is a serious crime. Keep up with your wonderful work for Deaf babies and their parents!

Deafchip
webmaster
October 29th, 2008 on 5:35 pm
Hi Cheryl,

It is good to see you again! Yes you are right about language rights that are paramount right to all babies including Deaf and Hard of hearing babies. They all deserve same rights to languages. No human being can take rights away from any human being including Deaf babies! Thanks so much for your support to Deaf babies!

Deafchip
Jean Boutcher
October 29th, 2008 on 9:07 pm
Hi Barb and David,

I am impressed with the DBC members FOR WALKING THE TALK
instead of either talking or writing the talk. I am also impressed that DBC has members who have a degree in linguistics of ASL and Deaf Studies and/or have experienced deaf culture in a residential school.
webmaster
November 3rd, 2008 on 10:55 pm
Hi Jean,

Thanks and yes DBC has been walking the talk since its first day in 2007. Its membership has been explosive to almost 3,000 and its number of chapters has been increased to 35 and is still growing! I believe DBC has answered to parents and their Deaf babies’ prayers!

I just caught up and here it is!

Deafchip
Shel
November 4th, 2008 on 8:19 pm
One of the barriers we face here isn’t just the issue of ASL being ignored as a language birthright for Deaf babies by society at large, but also the issue of the apparent fear many parents nowadays seem to have of ASL to the point that they absolutely point-blank REFUSE to even consider it for their Deaf babies. This fear wouldn’t have been there if there isn’t such a stigma against Deaf”ness” (I hate to use the term “deafness”) and by default, stigma against ASL itself.

Shel
Elita
February 14th, 2009 on 8:07 pm
I am writing a paper on the stigma faced by people who have partial hearing or none at all.
Anyone wishing to help me out with a few suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.
Elita.