I was mainstreamed and I was blessed that I got most likely one of the best High School experiences in which I do not think I could have gotten anywhere else. I will say though I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I grew up, starting at kindergarten all the way through 12th grade with the same school system and same group of peers. It helped tremendously, where my peers were able to grow up with me, when they are younger kids are typically more receiving and understanding than some students in 9th to 12th grade where they think their world and their way is the right way, no matter what. So by the time I was in 9th grade I already had a large group of friends some really good ones. Younger kids have more of an acceptance of people who are different than you, so a deaf child it is important to start in a school system early. The biggest problem I see in the deaf mainstream world is that kids are pulled in and out of school systems and does not give the deaf child nor his/her peers enough time to really get an understanding of the deaf person, nor gives them a chance to build on meaningful relationships. If you look at it non-objectively, this happens to any child that comes into a new school, they typically are unable to make friends as easy because they did not grow up within that school system. I think the issue of deaf in mainstream is much more complex, I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that, deaf children are more likely to be pulled and put into different environments more than any child should have to go through. I have also seen the other side of the coin, where deaf kids are put into residential schools for deaf, I have been around MSSD for the past 8 years, and the biggest thing I notice, is no parent support, but the peer support is there. The situation is a double edge sword, IMO there is no right or wrong answer, it all depends on the individual. With that being said, parents should be educated on both options, Mainstream and Residential Deaf schools as early as possible.
Carrie Hill,@CarrieHillPR sent me a tweet with a link to your press release and this video. I will be sharing this on my blog, and I wish your book and video much success with educating and informing everyone the importance of encouraging socialization over isolation...on every level. I was once one of these mainstreamed kids, myself.
Awesome ! a good start to open up for everyone listening and sharing perspective. Hopefully, it will impact for parents, eduction staff t to understand how deaf person's inner feeling about lack of communication and socialization which is critical important not to overlook or neglect Deaf 's emotionally support from anywhere else in mainstream program and etc. Thank you Mark for opening up a can of worms to speak out LOUD !
I was the only hard of hearing student in elementary school. It was extremely isolating and I learned practically nothing about deafness which I would experience later. I wouldn't wish that experience on anyone. I needed sign language early and learned it way too late. That school knew nothing about deafness. I wish for a program where mainstream kids can go to Deaf schools at least 2 or 3 days a week and learn to socialize with both hearing and Deaf students.
Hey you Mark, Big thank you so much for writing the book, it was good to see you at my surprise birthday party, you know that my two girls went in mainstream , they always compliant ..me duh !! But they had good Education then, If I start it all over. I would sent them to Fremont or the best school. Sorry not at P.S.D....
OH gosh...Thank you soo much!! I am getting this book. I was born deaf. Mainstreaming all my life. Worn one HA. The reason I was mainstreaming is because I am able to talk ( I didn't start talking till I was 2 with HA). Mom told me that I am not welcome to deaf school because of that. I have struggled soo bad in public school. I was depressed lots of times and very unhappy. I tried to tell my mom about but she wouldn't hear it. The school isn't helping me at all. They ignore my need help and told me that they had to treat me like a hearing person so they feel I don't need help. I have no idea what to do with my life (still don't) when I got out of HS. I had no support from anyone. Not even my family. I didn't get to meet with deaf people till I was 19 years old! I thought I was the only one who is deaf! I was able to learn some sign but the hard part is trying to get everyone around you to learn sign language. Now I am all grown up, married with 3 kids (they are all hearing) and still struggle. I no longer able to wear HA but I have CI now. Even with CI is better than HA but there is always a delay and always communication wall up. Again thanks for sharing! =)
Thank you, Mark, for your wonderful interview. You really tell it all. That's how I perceive other Deaf students struggled in their mainstream classes as well as in deaf ed. class. I've never been in it because I went through all six classes without an interpreter. I can hear well with teacher and you've got it as hard to catch what student(s) said. I'm going to purchase your book. I'm also going to write book(s) too as we do need more Deaf writers out there.
Thank you! I am hearing; studying Deaf Culture, ASL . . . Love this video! I only wish your book were available as an E book! lol, love my e books. But I will be ordering it from Amazon! Thank you.
This interview makes me curious to read the book. I am hard of hearing and was mainstreamed. It wasn't a terrible experience- I did very well academically and had a few great friends at times. However, I did miss nearly all group or informal conversations between people and had to work hard to understand my teachers and classmates without any support. Many of the videos in class would not be captioned so I would go home and do an extra two hours of work looking up on the internet what it was about. In high school, I did not really have any friends and would occupy a lunch table to myself and do homework since there was nothing better to do. Honestly, I had no idea just how much I was missing and how much extra work I was doing until I met a group of culturally Deaf individuals during my travels in Japan a bit over a year ago. I started hanging out with them a lot and picking up Japanese Sign Language. For the first time in my life, I was regularly invited to hang out with people and have a social life and I loved it. It is very hard to explain the experience, but it felt like my world has changed forever. I am now attending RIT (which has a large d/Deaf population) and learning American Sign Language. So that is my mainstreamed experience in a very very tiny nutshell for anyone who wants to read it. I think at minimum, parents and educators of deaf children need to be more aware of how mainstreaming can impact a child's social and emotional well-being. Some of the things that I dealt with on a regular basis back when I was in school, such as chronic periods of loneliness and lack of confidence in social situations, are still things that I deal with now as a young adult in her mid-twenties. Just because a child may seem fine (aka gets good grades and doesn't have behavior problems) does not mean that changes can be made within the school system to better the experience for the child. All too often, there is a greater importance put on academic development and very little importance on social and emotional development in the educational system.
Wow! I surely cried and cried and cried pretty hard. Althought, I attended the residential school for the deaf and had Deaf mother and Deaf cousins.. Wanna read this book badly!
I was mainstreamed in HS and never had any problems being isolated or anything like that. Its very important to interact with hearing world in order to land a decent career job and its alot easier to keep in the loop in the hearing world than the deafies.
I was mainstreamed and I was blessed that I got most likely one of the best High School experiences in which I do not think I could have gotten anywhere else. I will say though I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I grew up, starting at kindergarten all the way through 12th grade with the same school system and same group of peers. It helped tremendously, where my peers were able to grow up with me, when they are younger kids are typically more receiving and understanding than some students in 9th to 12th grade where they think their world and their way is the right way, no matter what. So by the time I was in 9th grade I already had a large group of friends some really good ones. Younger kids have more of an acceptance of people who are different than you, so a deaf child it is important to start in a school system early. The biggest problem I see in the deaf mainstream world is that kids are pulled in and out of school systems and does not give the deaf child nor his/her peers enough time to really get an understanding of the deaf person, nor gives them a chance to build on meaningful relationships. If you look at it non-objectively, this happens to any child that comes into a new school, they typically are unable to make friends as easy because they did not grow up within that school system. I think the issue of deaf in mainstream is much more complex, I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that, deaf children are more likely to be pulled and put into different environments more than any child should have to go through. I have also seen the other side of the coin, where deaf kids are put into residential schools for deaf, I have been around MSSD for the past 8 years, and the biggest thing I notice, is no parent support, but the peer support is there. The situation is a double edge sword, IMO there is no right or wrong answer, it all depends on the individual. With that being said, parents should be educated on both options, Mainstream and Residential Deaf schools as early as possible.
Carrie Hill,@CarrieHillPR sent me a tweet with a link to your press release and this video. I will be sharing this on my blog, and I wish your book and video much success with educating and informing everyone the importance of encouraging socialization over isolation...on every level. I was once one of these mainstreamed kids, myself.
I am sharing your video in Parents of Deaf Kids, Sign Language, and Culture group in FaceBook. Thanks for all work you have been doing.
Awesome ! a good start to open up for everyone listening and sharing perspective. Hopefully, it will impact for parents, eduction staff t to understand how deaf person's inner feeling about lack of communication and socialization which is critical important not to overlook or neglect Deaf 's emotionally support from anywhere else in mainstream program and etc. Thank you Mark for opening up a can of worms to speak out LOUD !
I was the only hard of hearing student in elementary school. It was extremely isolating and I learned practically nothing about deafness which I would experience later. I wouldn't wish that experience on anyone. I needed sign language early and learned it way too late. That school knew nothing about deafness. I wish for a program where mainstream kids can go to Deaf schools at least 2 or 3 days a week and learn to socialize with both hearing and Deaf students.
Hey you Mark, Big thank you so much for writing the book, it was good to see you at my surprise birthday party, you know that my two girls went in mainstream , they always compliant ..me duh !! But they had good Education then, If I start it all over. I would sent them to Fremont or the best school. Sorry not at P.S.D....
Thank you for writing such an important book!
OH gosh...Thank you soo much!! I am getting this book. I was born deaf. Mainstreaming all my life. Worn one HA. The reason I was mainstreaming is because I am able to talk ( I didn't start talking till I was 2 with HA). Mom told me that I am not welcome to deaf school because of that. I have struggled soo bad in public school. I was depressed lots of times and very unhappy. I tried to tell my mom about but she wouldn't hear it. The school isn't helping me at all. They ignore my need help and told me that they had to treat me like a hearing person so they feel I don't need help. I have no idea what to do with my life (still don't) when I got out of HS. I had no support from anyone. Not even my family.
I didn't get to meet with deaf people till I was 19 years old! I thought I was the only one who is deaf! I was able to learn some sign but the hard part is trying to get everyone around you to learn sign language.
Now I am all grown up, married with 3 kids (they are all hearing) and still struggle. I no longer able to wear HA but I have CI now. Even with CI is better than HA but there is always a delay and always communication wall up.
Again thanks for sharing! =)
Thank you, Mark, for your wonderful interview. You really tell it all. That's how I perceive other Deaf students struggled in their mainstream classes as well as in deaf ed. class. I've never been in it because I went through all six classes without an interpreter. I can hear well with teacher and you've got it as hard to catch what student(s) said. I'm going to purchase your book. I'm also going to write book(s) too as we do need more Deaf writers out there.
Thank you! I am hearing; studying Deaf Culture, ASL . . . Love this video! I only wish your book were available as an E book! lol, love my e books. But I will be ordering it from Amazon! Thank you.
Wow what a touching interview - I am keen to read this book and find out more about life from a deaf prespective! thanks for sharing
This interview makes me curious to read the book.
I am hard of hearing and was mainstreamed. It wasn't a terrible experience- I did very well academically and had a few great friends at times. However, I did miss nearly all group or informal conversations between people and had to work hard to understand my teachers and classmates without any support. Many of the videos in class would not be captioned so I would go home and do an extra two hours of work looking up on the internet what it was about. In high school, I did not really have any friends and would occupy a lunch table to myself and do homework since there was nothing better to do.
Honestly, I had no idea just how much I was missing and how much extra work I was doing until I met a group of culturally Deaf individuals during my travels in Japan a bit over a year ago. I started hanging out with them a lot and picking up Japanese Sign Language. For the first time in my life, I was regularly invited to hang out with people and have a social life and I loved it. It is very hard to explain the experience, but it felt like my world has changed forever. I am now attending RIT (which has a large d/Deaf population) and learning American Sign Language.
So that is my mainstreamed experience in a very very tiny nutshell for anyone who wants to read it. I think at minimum, parents and educators of deaf children need to be more aware of how mainstreaming can impact a child's social and emotional well-being. Some of the things that I dealt with on a regular basis back when I was in school, such as chronic periods of loneliness and lack of confidence in social situations, are still things that I deal with now as a young adult in her mid-twenties. Just because a child may seem fine (aka gets good grades and doesn't have behavior problems) does not mean that changes can be made within the school system to better the experience for the child. All too often, there is a greater importance put on academic development and very little importance on social and emotional development in the educational system.
Wow! I surely cried and cried and cried pretty hard. Althought, I attended the residential school for the deaf and had Deaf mother and Deaf cousins..
Wanna read this book badly!
Hi Mark, Can you give me the name of the book. You show me. which is the title?
Thanks
I was mainstreamed in HS and never had any problems being isolated or anything like that. Its very important to interact with hearing world in order to land a decent career job and its alot easier to keep in the loop in the hearing world than the deafies.
I was very touched by this video and thank you so much for doing this and your book!