Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!hcap!hnews!272!94!Fran.O'gorman
From: Fran.O'gorman@f94.n272.z1.fidonet.org (Fran O'gorman)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: sign, mainstreaming and deaf communities
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Date: 15 Mar 91 04:38:53 GMT
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[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

 JC> You say that your daughter Mary was beginning to use signs to
 JC> communicate.  I sincerely hope that you encouraged it.

Absolutely!  That was many, many years ago...she's 14 now and a
very proficient signer.  But at that time they (the speech
therapists, etc) had held off teaching her sign with the thought
she would speak, but it just wasn't happening.  Once this began to
happen I had to learn some sign myself --and pronto!  Her first
signing was really a kind of mime -- because she was actually
making it up until they switched her over a formally taught her
some.  Turns out some of the ideas she had came very close to the
real thing.

 JC> My hearie daughters were signing real signs long before they
 JC> uttered one syllable.  My oldest daughter used 50 signs at the age
 JC> of 14 months. Now, at age 19 years, she is a professional
 JC> interpreter earning her way through college.

No question about it sign IS very natural.

On a different note... I do feel very badly about the bad vibes
between you and James and Ann.  What began as a friendly debate
has mushroomed into a bitter battle and also there's been much
offense-taking in the process!  And here the 'subjects' on the top
of the msgs are in some cases ones I made up!  I know there will
never be aggreement when it comes to sign vs oralism and of course
the same with mainstreaming vs residential...but it isn't
something to become enemies over!  I know it's hearies who have
messed things up and there's times when anger is quite
understandable but don't turn it at Ann...please!  Just as I would
ask her not to come down on you...I really do feel badly about all
this...

--Fran

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