Deaf School Cons

After reading Deaf Again, I can imagine some points about deaf people’ lives. It is really hard when someone tries to fit into something but it is not for he or she. I realize that the words “Never mind,” or “It is not important” can hurt someone. Moreover, I extremely admire the author, Mark Drolsbaugh, and other Deaf people because they are very patient and they are not easy feel down like hearing people.

The rich history of American Deaf culture in conjunction withlanguage displays the determination along with the brilliance of these people. Though the hearing world had called them sin, denounced them as dumb, these people rose up against their oppressors, making a new world for themselves.

The book, Deaf Again, written by Mark Drolsbaugh, is an autobiography telling his life story which starts with a young boy growing up who goes through the process of losing his hearing and then, as he gets older, he struggles with trying to fit in as a normal child. When Mark was very young, he could hear fairly well then gradually he went hard of hearing until he eventually went completely deaf. Even though he had two deaf parents, the doctors advised speech therapy and hearing aids because they did not understand Deaf Culture and they thought that Mark would be a lot happier if he could hang on to his hearing persona. Throughout the rest of the book, Mark goes through a lot of stages of trying to fit in with everyone and eventually

The book “Deaf Again” is unique because the author has been on both sides of the spectrum. He had been hearing for some time and now is Deaf. He shows each viewpoint and doesn’t make it just for hearing or just for the Deaf. This author is also unique in showing his feelings for both hearing and also being Deaf.

Deaf Again is an autobiography written by Mark Drolsbaugh. In this book he begins at his birth, goes on to explain what it was like to lose his hearing, and details how this impacted and affected his life. Around the time Mark was in first grade, he began to realize that he was losing his hearing when he began having difficulty hearing some of his fellow students. His hearing continued to deteriorate until he was left completely deaf. This was very tough for Mark, because even though his parents were both deaf, they encouraged him to do his best to continue to be a hearing person. His parents believed that he would be happiest if he could fit in with all the hearing people, but didn’t understand that he could not truly be himself if he was

In the past, many deaf or even hard-of-hearing students were sent away to special schools for the Deaf, and were not able to associate with the hearing at all. Now, many schools, both public and private, have programs to help these students and make sure that they can stay in a regular school that is close to home.

This also discouraged some parents from enrolling their child because they did not want them to be away for such long periods of time. Now schools for the deaf are more common, and deaf children can attend mainstream public schools also; making it apparent that just because a child is deaf does not mean that they are dumb by any means.

After reading Deaf Again I learned a lot of new things about Deaf culture and was drawn in by the story of Mark Drolsbaugh. "The hardest fight a man has to fight is to live in a world where every single day someone is trying to make you someone you do not want to be" e.e cummings. I was brought into the book immediately from this quote and realized how difficult it must have been for Mark to find his identity. He was trying to hang on to his hearing in fear of going deaf as if there was something wrong or not proper with being deaf. It took him a long time, twenty-three years to realize that the Deaf culture is receiving and it was there for him to embrace the entire time. It would be difficult to be able to hear and then slowly

In Mark Drolsbaugh’s educational and witty autobiography “Deaf Again”, he describes his journey as a child born to deaf parents, losing his own hearing in his childhood, and navigating both hearing and deaf worlds while trying to discover his identity.

As for the social, emotional and behavioural aspects of this disability, the child will find it hard to communicate with its peers if they are not in a school dedicated to deaf students, and when out of the family home and school life will feel isolated, and sometimes become reluctant to socialise with others because of fear and frustration of not being able to communicate effectively .

Mark Drolsbaugh’s Deaf Again book gives a detailed account of his experience with becoming deaf in both a hearing and deaf world. It includes the awkwardness and un-comfortability he felt in hearing environments, within is personal family dynamic and in deaf safe havens where he learned to adjust, and grow for the betterment of him learning ASL and in general, becoming emerged within Deaf culture. Drolsbaugh starts the book off by introducing how life for deaf people, even when giving birth, can be a struggle (due to society not being well informed on how to effectively communicate and treat Deaf individuals). Drolsbaugh’s mother, Sherry, wasn’t properly given epidural while giving birth to him, and as she made noises to best express that something was wrong, the nurse brushed it off. Once Mark was born, and Sherry got up the needle wasn’t in her back but on the bed. Looking at how communication issues can lead to negative results, throughout the rest of the book Drolsbaugh sheds light on this phenomenon, specifically focusing on the educational environment and the interactions between and among hearing and deaf communities.

The deaf community does not see their hearing impairment as a disability but as a culture which includes a history of discrimination, racial prejudice, and segregation. According to PBS home video “Through Deaf Eyes,” there are thirty-five million Americans that are hard of hearing (Hott, Garey & et al., 2007) . Out of the thirty-five million an estimated 300,000 people are completely deaf. There are over ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing parents. Also, most deaf parents have hearing children. With this being the exemplification, deaf people communicate on a more intimate and significant level with hearing people all their lives. “Deaf people can be found in every ethnic group, every region, and every economic class.” The

The history of the deaf goes far back to the biblical times. Being born deaf or going deaf made it very difficult back in the days. As a deaf person you were never treated the way you should be treated because people either respected you are not. Deaf people lacked many social opportunities that everyone had because they were seen as disabled. During biblical times it is even recorded that if a child was born deaf the father of the child could decide if they should live or not. As time developed the deaf were even forbidden to attend church, control their properties, or even

Although it is possible for deaf children to attend public schools and succeed, research suggests that it is best for them to have their own environment, says Meagan McDonough. It is already hard enough for a hearing student to find his/her place in the classroom, but when you add being deaf to the list, a major challenge presents itself. This deaf student must work extra hard to keep up and be able to read the lips of his/her teachers and fellow peers, and learn to communicate. Even though accommodations are made and sometimes interpreters are given, it is hard for the student to feel welcome. If this student were to attend a deaf school, he/she would not have to work so hard and would find it much easier to communicate and socialize - both of which are major focuses in a high school student’s life. In Meagan McDonough's article "Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in Public Schools", she states that public schools might not be best for deaf students, but if they start out in a deaf school and eventually integrate into a hearing school, they will be better off and be able to keep up. I agree with her in that it is good for a child to at least start his/her education in a deaf school so that the base of their foundation is laid by something they can understand. If later they feel comfortable trying out a public school, they may do so and will find it easier to be and feel included. However, if ASL was to be offered in all public schools and colleges, it would give hearing students the chance to be able to communicate and be more comfortable with deaf

What many people do not understand is that just because you are deaf does not mean you are disabled. There are schools and entire communities for the Deaf; the largest being in California, New York, and DC. There are many professions that Deaf can be successful in; Doctors, actors, surgeons, and teachers to name a few. Although it will certainly be harder, there are millions of Deaf individuals who lead happy, successful