154 education
Even though you may not have many choices about the kind of school
to send your child to, knowing about schools is important because:
• it can help you think about what would be best for your child.
• it can help you work with your school to make the school better for
deaf children.
• it can help you work with the community to get the kind of school
that families with deaf children need.
Schools and language
Schools that teach deaf children usually focus either on the
spoken language of the community or on sign language.
Some schools teach deaf children to speak and use sign language
at the same time, or to speak and use finger spelling. They
use sign language, gestures, pictures, lip reading, speech, and
reading and writing.
Often the teachers who use spoken language and teachers who
use sign language do not agree with each other’s methods. This
can make it very difficult for parents to get information about
what is good in each method.
Our school believes that
deaf children have a right
to learn sign language, as it
is the ‘natural language’ for
deaf people.
Our school believes that
only deaf children who can
understand and respond
to spoken language can
succeed in the world.
We also teach
about the history
and importance
of deaf people
and the deaf
community.
See Chapters 7 to 9 for information about spoken and sign
languages and how to start using them. It is important to
remember that each child has his or her own needs and
abilities.
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)