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Deaf in a hearing world
By Diana Wallace Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted on February 04, 2002
To get a sense of how bumpy the educational landscape can be for deaf
children, you only need to look at the Fichtner family of Elmhurst. Monica
and Paul Fichtner have normal hearing but their two children - 6-year-old
Megan and 4-year-old Tommy - are both hard of hearing.
Tommy's hearing loss is moderate and he hears well with an aid. Therefore,
he doesn't use much sign language and is in a pre-school program that
focuses on teaching hard-of-hearing kids to speak. When he gets older, he'll
likely be "mainstreamed" in a regular classroom. Megan, on the other hand,
is deaf. And although her parents hope she develops some speech as she grows
up, they also recognize it will be more difficult for her than for her
brother.
Megan is doing well in her first-grade class with other deaf children in
Westchester, but her parents worry the school's approach may be too
speech-oriented for Megan. They fear she will fall behind in the
fundamentals, especially reading - a particular challenge for deaf children
who can't "sound out" words. So the Fichtners are taking a pro-active
approach to her schooling.
They are among a group of industrious parents and advocates in the West
suburbs who are trying to open their own school - the Laurent Clerc Deaf
Academy. Named for the 19th-century deaf Frenchman who helped pioneer deaf
education in the United States, the academy will strive to teach profoundly
deaf children in what many feel is their "native language:" American Sign
Language.
"Some kids need help that a public school just can't provide," said Paul
Fichtner, a member of the Elmhurst City Council. "Our choice was either to
get the school boards to embrace that change - a daunting task - or just try
this on our own." So far, the fledgling effort has had breakthroughs but
still faces many challenges if it is to open, as hoped, next fall.
The group has secured classroom space at St. Peter's Church in Elmhurst.
It's also working with local and state school officials to have the academy
officially designated as a special education facility so it can get some
public funding. But so far, the school only has four prospective students.
The group says it needs at least four more to open - not to mention at least
$100,000 in seed money.
Although the would-be school may lack in funding and enrollment, it does
have a strong - if somewhat controversial - philosophical underpinning.
It's based on the idea that if deaf children are immersed in American Sign
Language, they will pick up concepts quicker than if they're taught in
English.
ASL vs. 'signed English'
Many people with minimal knowledge of the deaf world are aware there's a
debate between signing and speaking as the preferred mode of communication.
So it may come as a surprise that American Sign Language is not the primary
mode of communication in most public school programs for the deaf in
Illinois. And many who teach deaf children are not fluent in ASL.
Perhaps equally surprising is that not all sign language is the same:
American Sign Language differs from "signed English," which itself has
several variations. "There's a big chasm between oralism and signing, and
then a small chasm between signed English and ASL," Fichtner said.
ASL is generally accepted as a language unto itself, with its own vocabulary
and grammar that's completely distinct from English. Signed English, in
contrast, is not a language but a "signed system," where words are
translated one by one as they would be written or spoken in English.
Monica Fichtner explains the difference this way: To say, "Stop the ball
with your foot" in signed English, one would make the sign for or spell out
each word, word by word, in the same order as the spoken English.
To say the same phrase in American Sign Language, one would use the sign for
"ball," the sign for "stop" and then make a little stomp with the foot.
ASL is more impressionistic and efficient because it doesn't use small words
like "is" or "the." "It's much quicker, more eloquent, designed for the
eyes," Monica Fichtner said.
Tiffany and Jim Hoglind, a deaf couple from Darien, have used American Sign
Language with their two deaf daughters since they were born and say it's
allowed them to develop language - albeit ASL, not English - at the same
pace as hearing children. Now that they've grasped their "native language,"
they're beginning to learn to translate into English so they can learn to
read.
"In our opinion, we strongly believe ASL ... is the best method to use for a
deaf child as a first language," Tiffany Hoglind said. "(Deaf children) need
to be 'in-put' with words by using visuals, picture-like signs ... They need
to hear through their eyes, visually."
The school also would teach about the rich culture and history of the deaf
world, which has its own poetry, art, drama, language and even music, said
Sara Bianco Riggio of Lisle, who is deaf and works for the DuPage Center for
Independent Living in Glen Ellyn.
'Total communication'
There are several, mainly private, schools around the country that have
embraced an American Sign Language-based approach, but some educators
believe too much focus on ASL deprives students of the ability to do
something fundamental: get along in a hearing world. Instead, many public
school programs for deaf students in the Chicago area use what's known as a
"total communication" approach. That's where teachers speak in English while
simultaneously signing in signed English.
That has two advantages, proponents say. The students get input in speech,
lip-reading and signing all at once, and they begin to make the link between
the spoken word and the written word so they can learn to read.
Paul Murphy of the School Association for Special Education in DuPage
County, which provides special education for 15 area districts, said its
instructors "try as much as possible now to use ASL."
However, "it is controversial ... There are several schools of thought on
this, and we try to take the middle ground," said Murphy, who is profoundly
deaf. Although some kids grasp language through ASL, others "need to have
(language) all spelled out," which is closer to the total communication
approach, Murphy said.
"People have to keep in mind there's a hearing world out there," Murphy
said. "I want the very best for our kids. I want to equip them for an oral
world and a signing world."
What further complicates the debate is that, through technological
advancements such as cochlear implants and better hearing aids, people who
are deaf or hard of hearing have more ability than ever before to access
sound.
That has swung the pendulum away from signing and toward speech, said Merry
Schainblatt, who teaches deaf children in DuPage County who range in age
from preschool to high school. She said she's somewhat skeptical of a
American Sign Language approach to schooling young children, but she admires
the group trying to open the Laurent Clerc Deaf Academy for their commitment
to their children's education.
"Oral vs. manual, oral vs. total communication - it's a lot for parents to
deal with (in trying to) make a decision about their kids' education,"
Schainblatt said. "There's no one way for every kid, and many different ways
can lead to success."
The most important thing, Schainblatt said, is parental involvement.
The Fichtners said they realize the Laurent Clerc Deaf Academy might not be
the right approach for all deaf students. But they hope that it can provide
another choice to deaf children and their parents. "All we've ever wanted
for our children - our prayer and hope - is (that they) be able to learn,"
Monica Fichtner said, "however that is going to happen."
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