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From: Robin.Chronister@f429.n275.z1.fidonet.org (Robin Chronister)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: Total communication
Message-ID: <18410@bunker.isc-br.com>
Date: 28 Mar 91 05:49:13 GMT
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[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

> My God! An educator who wants input fromthe Deaf Community rather than
> playing Lord of the Deaf! God Bless, you and your students, my
> dear!!!!!!

You sure are good for my self esteem!  Seriously though, I never
thought things could be any different until I began to work in the
school system, and saw how the hearing people with lots of letters after
their names acted.  I was shocked!  I didn't get into this because I
wanted to "help poor little deaf children," although that is what I have
been praised for by all kinds of well-intentioned people.  I have wanted
to be an interpreter or a teacher since 5th grade, because signing
always fascinated me.  The biggest problem I have is really
understanding how to express an abstract concept when I can't really
put myself in the "listener's" shoes.  If the deaf community can help
the educational system to accomplish that, then we can do our jobs
better, right?
  I'm not expressing myself very well here, but the main point I am
making is that I *do* realize how very little I know, and the best way
to learn something, in my opinion, is to go to those who have the
knowledge and ask for their help.  These children won't be completely
assimilated into the hearing world - they can't be.  There will always
be some kind of barrier no matter what we do, and God forbid we should
deny them access to a culture of their own!

                                    Robin

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