By William J. Griffin
As a full-time teacher at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (PSD), I was floored when our Headmaster, Joe Fischgrund, recently announced to the PSD faculty and staff that he was stepping down at the end of the 2007-2008 school year. PSD is not alone, from several recent blogs, we have learned that:
- The Mississippi School for the Deaf students protested, which led to the removal of individuals who ran the school.
- The Oregon School for the Deaf had their superintendent removed by the state.
- Mal Grossinger was appointed interim superintendent of the California School for the Deaf - Riverside.
- The Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind Interim superintendent resigned.
Immediately, I wondered who would be selected for the permanent positions at these schools, including PSD. Is PSD going to compete with other schools for the best possible candidates? Who will win or lose the “best superintendent” sweepstakes? Will this help or hurt deaf schools? I also hope that the PSD Board of Trustees has learned valuable lessons from the Gallaudet selection process so that history will not repeat itself.
However, some blogs in the deaf blogosphere appear to obsess about the past and rarely discuss the future of deaf schools. Regardless of the reasons why deaf schools are now searching for a new superintendent, we need to discuss the qualities that make a good superintendent. This is an opportune time to put together our expectations for a deaf school superintendent.
The PSD Board of Trustees will start a search committee within a couple of months. I want to formulate a list of qualities that a good leader of a deaf school should have. This list will be submitted the list to PSD Board of Trustees and hopefully they, and other deaf schools across the nation, can use it as a guide when searching for ideal candidates. PSD parents, alumni, students, staff, faculty and community will be invited to give their input. I plan to consolidate all of the comments to this blog and include them in the list that I will submit to the PSD Board of Trustees. Readers who prefer to remain anonymous are welcome to email me at williamjgriffin –at- comcast.net.
Many of us are becoming more empowered individuals, where we can help shape the vision for the ideal candidate that will attract all of the school’s stakeholders. This vision will also help a Board of Trustees understand the philosophy that stakeholders would like in a new superintendent and then hire accordingly. Without this kind of information, it would be hard for any Board of Trustees (or any one for that matter) to make a good decision. The power to shape deaf education in your hands, get it done right the first time around!
William J. Griffin is a full-time teacher at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (in Philadelphia, not Pittsburgh). He is working toward his master’s degree in deaf education at McDaniel College. A native Philadelphian known to most people as “Billy”, he (almost) never stays away from a good discussion that stimulates thinking and personal growth. When not teaching, Billy can be found either studying or spending time with his wife and children.
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The top post at Indiana and Kentucky schools for the Deaf are also vacant, if I’m not wrong.
Not only deaf schools, ditto goes for DCARA in Northern California for the past two years and for AGBell as of recent.
I would say what make an engaged and attuned superintendent beyond professional credentials are a genuine vision and rapport with the school community. Dr. Tucker (MD), Dr. Klopping (CA-F), Mr. Stern (NM) might be examples, if not exemplars. I remember hearing good things about Dr. Galloway when she was at MKSD (NJ), the closest school to where I attended.
Rightly so, rapport implies certain qualities. Communication skills, cultural empathy, historical appreciation, celebration of linguistic diversity, and?
Interesting list of names of “engaged and attuned superintendent”… Both Tucker and Stern were products of Klopping’s administration at CSD-Fremont. Perhaps people seeking strong leadership should look closely at the people in Fremont??
I completely agree that commitment to the Community, and ability to communicate with staff, students and parents are all key components to success as a Superintendent.
There’s another one even though he is only an interim superintendent: Mal Grossinger. It is my understanding that CSD in Fremont has generously “loaned” him to CSD in Riverside. I’ve heard good things about him by those from CSD-R since the day he joined.
There aren’t many hearing superintendents like Dr. Klopping who made sure a good number of fluent/native users of both ASL/English work at a deaf school. It is not surprising that many of CSD-F graduates are self sufficient and well rounded people. Hand waving to Dr. Klopping!
Um. Dr. Klopping is practically Deaf himself, even though he has got intact hearing. He’s a CODA. I agree it’s rare to find truly good non-CODA hearing superintendents at Deaf schools.
I knew that he is a CODA. He is deaf by heart, indeed. This could be a factor in his effort to see that intelligent deaf people move up the ladders and allow deaf children have deaf role models.
One of my relatives, a CODA, used to be a Superintendent and he made sure to hire many great deaf people in high positions before retiring. I commend
him for it.
My brother, the only hearing siblings out of four, quit working at one of the worst deaf schools after one year, unfortunately. He couldn’t live with the horrors of listening to administrators, teachers and staff badmouth and backstab about deaf children. They had the audacity to tell him not to waste his breath or time with these kids. The small kids adore him and the staff disliked how he was popular by the students.
Because he has spoken out and stood up, they have made his life miserable that he left. I’m angry because now he wants nothing to do with deaf schools. He has so much to offer.
It is not only deaf people being subjected to this but hearing allies too.
Mr. Griffin,
Have you composed a list of qualities as you said you would? If so, could you post it here for all to see? It’d be nice if we all could agree on a standard expected of Deaf school/educational program leaders.
Thanks for sharing.
RC
What makes a good Superintendent or equivalent is one who follows through and does not prosper at expenses of causing grief to others as is commonly caused by favoritism, neopotism and other social ills commonly found at Maryland School for the Deaf where James E. Tucker is Superintendent. He has his strengths but really many innovations were already in mind of his subordinatess for quite some time.
A list of qualities to be submitted to the Board of Trustees alone may not be enough.
Look at what happened with Gallaudet’s Board of Trustees and it threw off many people with their procedure and decision by eliminating Dr. Glenn Anderson and picking Dr. Jane K. Fernandes as the final choice.
To avoid what protestors had to do to save Gallaudet as it’s time consuming and painful, we need to have the community, alumni and even media involved in advance on top of the search committee for the sake of our deaf children’s future .
I feel that issues that have plagued a deaf school need to be addressed in order for healing to occur before moving forward with a vision that desperately awaits to materialize.
Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? :)
If I were one of the PSD Board of Trustees, I’d be looking for someone who had a demonstrated record of successful school administration, perhaps a minimum of 5 years, but preferably more. When the prospective superintendent has credentialed teaching experience and has risen through the ranks of a school or a couple of schools, that gives the candidate credibility in the eyes of line staff - teachers. It shows that s/he understands the inner workings of schools, and has the ability to work with all kinds of people, from parents, students, teachers, local education agencies, and other administrators. The job of a superintendent is incredibly complex and requires the person to wear many hats simultaneously: PR, leadership, vision, innovation, and plain old hands-on, nuts and bolts running of a school, just like a business. S/He has to know how to delegate. Since so many schools for the deaf are threatened by the economics of mainstreaming, a superintendent has to have or know how to build allies within the state government, such as state senate and assembly members, department of education, etc., that have legislative power over the existence of the school. This is not a 9-to-5 type of job, it’s 24/7/365. That means a superintendent must be 100% dedicated and be able to prove it above and beyond holding a job as a school administrator. S/He has to be above reproach, have high moral character, no skeletons in the closet, thick skin, lots of self-confidence, and be prepared to live in a fishbowl with every move scrutinized, second-guessed, criticized, and Monday-morning quarterbacked.
Especially nowadays with all these blogs and vlogs. There are no secrets any more, so anybody who applies for a school superintendent’s job is going to have his/her whole life from birth on exposed to public view.
I second your comment, CE and I want to add that the sup’t must have a solid understanding of Section 504 and IDEA.
Don’t forget your friends at Scranton State School for the Deaf…still no Supt. since Dr. Bambach retired few years ago! So… lots of Senior management positions at schools of the Deaf across the country!
Best of luck!!!
I think that the single most important skill any superintendent of any deaf institution/program can have is the ability to build a rapport with parents.
We don’t pay enough attention to them. Many of them have no guidance whatsoever, no support, no assistance in making sense of a bewildering variety of choices. I think that superintendents should first and foremost make information about all options a parent has in a clear and straightforward manner, utilizing an easily accessible website if possible. Any parent worth his or her salt is going to explore all of the options anyway, but where struggling programs can really start building a sense of community and trust is through information sharing. And it is CRUCIAL to be able to build a strong community of parents. Without them, you’ve really got nobody to fight for the school, and believe me, with the way things are going, sooner or later you’ll have to.
A superintendent also needs to make ASL options available, period, with or without funds. And the best way to do that is to utilize the skills that already exist in the surrounding Deaf Community.
Show me that one skill–the ability to build community, and I’ll show you a successful program. Because when you get right down to it, THAT is what we lack in our schools: community… both inside and outside. A community will make or break a program. In my opinion there have been far too many examples of administrators playing segments of a non-existent community (”non-existent” because the only thing that holds it together is either force or the lack of realistic options for leaving) off against each other, and to me that’s direct evidence of being in possession of a HORRIBLE business-sense. Utterly horrible. You cannot carter to what the state seems to want at the expense of ignoring what parents want. And you cannot carter to what parents want at the expense of ignoring what the Deaf Community wants. Superintendents worth their weight in gold will get ALL issues out in the open and bring people together, even if problems can’t be solved overnight.
I don’t think that this is impossible to do. Those who scoff at community-building as an impossible task are usually the ones who lack respect; not just for particular groups, but also as a basic personality trait.
Have you thought about applying for superintendency position one day? :) You’re great and do know your stuff very well. I find myself often nodding in agreement with a lot of things you said, not just this post of yours but some of your others.
Hi Katherine:
I’m thinking about it, yeah. Thanks for the vote of confidence!
There is one more deaf school that is without a Director (formerly Superintendent). It is Louisiana School for the Deaf. One applicant in one year! Still searching!!
(Sigh). As a long term employee (AND graduate) of a state residential school, I am more than aware of the lack of “approved and qualified” administration officials. This is nothing new and has been going on for at least 25 years.
All of the schools are different and there is no perfect answer for any of them AS A GROUP. We need to begin thinking individually, state by state and need by need.
What works for a state deaf residential school in the South is not necessarily what a Northern school for the deaf would benefit from. Again: “One size does NOT fit all”.
Hello Lantana:
That’s very true. But you know what? It’s going to end up being the same group of people that fights these battles state by state. Nobody else knows anything about Deaf Ed, not really, and too many others simply don’t care. So if you don’t have that base of power… if you don’t have thousands of people in various states cooperating and working together, then you’ve got nothing, because there are simply too many geographic areas that don’t have enough warm, breathing deaf bodies to visibly parade their numbers.
It’s a question of logistics, in other words–how do you get enough people to a state where change is sorely needed, either to protest despicable conditions, OR to simply take superintendent jobs that have been open for over a year?
Billy,
Thanks so much for bringing this up. There is one thing we need to remember. In 1970’s, we had Leadership Training Program (LTP) based in CSUN and they graduated many people who eventually became administrators for many Deaf schools and programs. When LTP closed because they did not have any funds to continue I believe, other similar program to LTP was nowhere to be found for maybe 15 years. Obviously, an opportunities for people to study and get degree in education administration were lost for 15 years!
Not until three years ago, Gallaudet Leadership Institute, under direction of Dr. Jay Innes and Dr. Francis Duffy, started a program, Education Leadership. GLI graduated 13 in last two years and will graduate other 7 this May. This certainly bring hope to see more education administrators to hold some positions such as supt of deaf schools.
In addition to that, in my humble opinion, it is time for Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD) to do more in looking into how to find more administrators to work at deaf schools/programs. While we are fully aware that CEASD board members are doing the job volunteerly, I still feel CEASD needs to become more creative and find several solutions to nationwide problem among Deaf school and programs.
We have a lot of work ahead of us but if we do it together, we will succeed.
Joey Baer, are any of those 20 graduates of the GLI (Gallaudet Leadership Institute) going to apply for all those supt. jobs? Sure seems like there are plenty of jobs for everyone right now. How about you? ;)
Yes, I am one of GLI graduates and I can tell you that it is on my mind. I will not be qualified to become supt because I have to some experience supervising teachers first.
In addition to that, GLI graduates have been talking about this several times that we need to look at bigger picture ourselves. It won’t be easy but we are watching the situation closely just like everyone else.
Thanks for asking.
Also, New York School for the Deaf (Fanwood) in White Plains, NY, is in search for a Director of Instruction and a High School Principal among other positions. The Director of Instruction position was just recently re-opened and it is best assumed that the person would attain the role of a Superintendent especially since should Dr. Tiffany resign anytime – just like many of us would retire. While Fanwood has the uttermost potential to improve; it seeks a lot of young faces so if I may do so – check out http://www.nysd.k12.ny.us’s Employment Opportunities page.
From the changes in Deaf Education, I can almost easily predict that Fanwood would enter in a long search for a Superintendent, and/or even for a Director of Instruction. I’m trying to understand why there isn’t a good pool of applicants for the Superintendent/Director positions nationwide - could it be that they fear the struggles ahead such as threat of school closures, threat of decreasing enrollment, political motives, and maybe threat of stress on the heart of all matters involved along with gray hairs to come earlier in your years?? Look at how Clinton has aged. ;)
RISD is also looking for a new Superintendent.
With apologies to Mr. Griffin - not meaning to take this off subject - but I would like to bring up a comparable issue…quality leaders running state Commissions for the Deaf or similar state-operated Deaf organizations.
Why does it seem like I see a lot of blogs that focus on the need for leadership in regards to Schools for the Deaf, but little in regards to state Commissions, etc.?
Yes, I do understand and wholeheartedly agree with the need to focus on better education for our deaf and hard of hearing children, that they might thus develop the “roots and wings” which will shape them into becoming the leaders of tomorrow.
But what happens once those kids leave the state schools and start residing in our communities? Who becomes responsible for assuring that they have the quality of life that they deserve? Who becomes our spokesperson then? Who is responsible for assuring that proper services are available?
Most states do have a Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, or a Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, or some similar type of state agency. I’ve seen leadership within these organizations to be very diverse - educational credentials can vary from having no college degree whatsoever to having a Ph.D.; signing skills can range from native to rudimentary; background in Deafness and Deaf Culture can range from full inclusion in the Deaf Community to no prior experience whatsoever; and those skills and qualifications which we normally would associate with a Director of such an organization (many of which are the same we seek in a School Superintendant) can vary widely.
I do agree with what Lantana says about how “One Size Does Not Fit All”…and this probably rings even more true for State Commissions, etc. than it does for State Schools for the Deaf. There is such a wide variance in the structure of such organizations within the individual states - some of which consist of one mere office with a limited number of staff and offer little, if any actual consumer services; others of which have multiple offices around the state and offer various services such as interpreter coordination, consumer support, etc.
Should we be holding these organizations to the same level of expectations that we do State Schools for the Deaf? Expect the same level of qualifications from the Directors of such organizations as we do School Superintendants?
It would seem to me…if these organizations are supposed to serve as the spokesperson on behalf of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals of their states, and hopefully working closely with other state organizations (including the Schools) and their Deaf Communities…that their Directors (and other staff members) should be held to the same strident expectations and qualifications that we are discussing here.
Yet sadly…that often appears not to be the case.
Any thoughts?
Virginia, I agree that we should keep eyes on who leads our state commissions. They each consult all the state agencies in their state and act as a primary resource to them on our issues.
Confoundingly so, bureaucracy varies from state to another, with some commissions being one-person offices folded within Vocational Rehabilitation, which essentially renders the office’s policy-making efforts subservient to client services. How can our community’s chief lobbyist succeed when it has to compete with VR counselors for the supervisor’s attention? This can be seen in Pennsylvania and Wyoming.
State commissions with full-blown offices are also occasionally overshadowed by strong schools or centers serving the same community. Take Maryland, the school for the deaf and the NAD obscure the MD Office for the D/HH. In Texas, TSD obscures TCDHH. It follows that in-state residents don’t expect much in the way of qualifications from whoever directs these offices.
I agree that this is an area we as a community should want to see strengthened. A crystal clear example would be the role Commissions could have in the search process of states with schools absent superintendents. Oregon could benefit from a strong commission giving technical consultation to the ODE and participating in the search process.
Well said, List.
I agree…what we as a community need to be doing is pushing for High-Caliber, Well-Qualified Deaf Leadership across the board, in all areas serving deaf and hard-of-hearing persons (be it in Education, Social Services, Vocational Rehabilitation, Mental Health, etc, etc.) AND giving these leaders the ability and the authority to utilize their knowledge and skill in an effective manner that will enhance the lives of the community they are designated to represent and serve.
To do anything less would be - to quote Chris Heuer below…
professional suicide.
Jobicide.
I wanted to edit myself but couldn’t. That was a joke and I wanted to close it with a smiley face.
Jobicide. :)
Haha! I like that, jobicide :)
Indeed. Jobicide.
(-:
NO one is perfect for the best candidate for PA school for the Deaf. Look at Dr. Bob Davila!
One more school to add: Austine School for the Deaf in Vermont. There has been no superintendent for a year now. Three people within the school are now sharing the duties required of a superintendent. This is appalling to me because I was on the committee to interview two potential superintendents, one of which had a stellar resume and background of experience as well as fluent in ASL. The Board decided not to hire either candidate. My feeling that it would have been in the school’s best interests to at least hire the stellar candidate to be an interim superintendent so that the other three people can focus on their jobs. Ah, politics.
You know, I wonder: at what point does this kind of thing become illegal? I’m no lawyer, but everything I’ve ever studied about EEO laws tells me that all you have to do is be qualified for the position you’re trying for. If you are, and you aren’t hired, I think you at least have the right to find out why, yes? But what do you do when it’s not precisely your DEAFNESS that got you turned down, but rather the fact that people don’t like your politics, or else they simply don’t like YOU?
It just seems wrong to me. Wrong to the extent that it seems insane there’s no law against it, because it’s so destructively stupid. These positions sit open for years, and on the one hand there are complaints that not enough people apply… yet on the other hand I know a lot of qualified people who’ll probably never be hired for an administrative position because they spent their careers actually trying to DO SOMETHING about dismal conditions.
With that kind of thinking it’s almost guaranteed that the people who eventually rise to the top will be the ones least likely to ever push for much-needed changes. If the status quo we think we’re protecting was already functional–in other words if the status quo was already keeping our schools open, already producing graduates that enhanced our reputations as educators, already producing students who can get jobs and earn wealth and contribute back to the community–THEN I would understand the desire to not rock the boat.
But none of these things are true. Our schools all across the nation teeter on the brink of collapse. Our graduates to a large degree have had fourth grade reading levels for decades. And how many deaf-owned business are there out there? So really, what is being protected? If the schools collapse, then there’s no jobs for anyone, including the schools boards, the state administrative boards, the teachers, etc who seemingly don’t want change.
I just don’t get it. It’s professional suicide by status-quo. It doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.
Wow. Quoted For Truth! I, too, am surprised by the news circulating in this blog about the sheer numbers of leadership positions being open and for so long. Let’s hope new leadership will emerge soon and make changes for the better!
If you look at each current superintendent’s age, then you will be surprised that there are more superintendents who are planning to retire within the next few years. It is important to see this metric to serve as an indicator of the future.
Secondly, superintendent should have outstanding economic knowledge.
Wow, job market’s suddenly looking hot now!
Well, of course, qualifications matter.
Billy’s asking for what we want in a superintendent.
Here’s what I’d like to see:
1) Sexual abuse and bullying in schools are still on-going and quite a challenge for the administrators. There has been a history of cover ups. Ensuring the safety of deaf children in the dorms and classrooms (especially at the hands of dorm counselors and supervisors) needs to be a #1 priority. Every new superintendent that comes needs to vocalize that there is a zero tolerance policy for this. And makes sure the school community is proactive with this.
2) Expecting excellence in academics, arts, and athletics. Making the school less “institutionalized” and more “mainstreamed” by taking advantage of the local resources, bridging programs between the deaf and local hearing schools, and offering top-rated after school programs and activities especially for residential students. It’d be great if the deaf schools could offer cross-cultural opportunities where hearing and deaf children can interact and be exposed to all kinds of opportunities. Peer-assisted programs are quite popular in middle and high schools across the country. My high school has this Peer Tutoring Center where peers who excel in certain subjects can help other peers under teacher’s supervision and guidance. I remember how much I enjoyed that.
3) Ideally, the superintendent would adopt this attitude of being the agent of change without rocking the boat and expecting extreme changes to take place. It’s imperative that he/she has to have a good relationship with the Board, the parents, and the school. And with the state. I understand many schools are resistent to change and it can be hard when the superintendent has this vision for a better school and yet the school community rejects it. (Riverside with Dr. Stone and American School for the Deaf with Harvey come to mind as examples).
4) Last thing. I understand Lantana’s one size doesn’t fit all point. What I do support is the belief of visiting several outstanding deaf schools and study the leadership style, interaction between teachers and students, and context taught in classes and dorms. Compare the results with a school that isn’t as stellar as the others and study the differences. This kind of data helps increase the credibility of the administration and it can help with accountability and transparency on the state level as well. There’s a lot of pressure with NCLB (No Child Left Behind law) and getting data comes in play when working on obtaining additional funding.
5) I lied about the last thing. This is more of an afterthought. Superintendent’s a tough job and I don’t wish this kind of stress on anyone. But, I do believe there are right people for the right jobs. Shortage of superintendents at the deaf schools is a crisis that is still pretty soft-spoken in the deaf community. The same goes for the state commissions and deaf-run organizations and agencies. Glad to see GLI addressing this issue. Hope to see more local communities taking action in working on this collectively. (Offer mentorship opportunities, grooming opportunities with approval from the community and board to take over, etc).
Long comment, phew. Apparently, my fingers had a lot to say!
GLI ???
GLI is for Gallaudet Leadership Institute.
Oops…should have figured that out from reading Joey’s comment - blame it on premature senility.
Thanks Katherine.
There is one thing that I noticed that was missing from most of the posts was the issue of public scrutiny from the parents, citizens and legislative branch. The scrutiny has been increased in the last 15 years, especially with the standards that are being expected from the classroom performance. This would force many administrators to pay close attention to that area, more than ever. As for those who are or will be representing the deaf institutions have the additional burden of justifying the presence of their institutions to the lawmakers with the lens of efficiency, not quality.
Not only that, I do agree with one of the posts that this job, should one accept it is an around the clock position – which must respond to many different situation at once, and still continue to juggle the future priorities. Those positions require a candidate that has strong foundation in setting up policy direction, and the ability to foresee the needs of the deaf institutions 20 years ahead. That is extremely challenging for anyone to undertake, and should only be made by those who truly have the heart, soul, strength and mind for it.
Finally, if we are to increase the quality of education that is being offered in the deaf institutions, I would agree with Liz that one would need to undertake a comparison study on the successful and failing schools on how teachers work with the students (never mind the other variables that may affect the study such as the funding or its location). One can be creative with the funds that they are being given, or one can work with different groups to make a donation to the deaf institutions. Ultimately, the quality of education is determined by the values that are cherished by the community and the institutions. Lately, in the United States, we are slipping behind other countries all over the world in terms of providing a good quality education in K-12 arena because we are valuing peace and other priorities more than education. If we as a community work together, the priorities will be changed one way or the other. The power is with the people – not with the Government… Gee I wonder where that came from. :)
Gallaudet offers a Ph.D in Education Administration. Where are these graduates going? The program has been around for awhile, hasn’t it? I would think that a program like this would be producing suitable candidates for some of those openings.
I am also wondering if the pay is keeping many candidates away? No one has mentioned what the pay is like for these kinds of jobs, but given that they would most likely be city or state employees, I can imagine it can’t be all that great. Especially if it is a 24/7/365 job.
MJ, it’s true that Gallaudet offers a PhD program in educational administration. However, it takes way more than a degree and a credential to make someone qualified to be a school superintendent. In other words, it is possible for someone to have a PhD in educational administration from Gallaudet, and still be unfit to be a school superintendent. Remember that the other qualifications a trustee should be looking for are experience, high moral character, and specific accomplishments that demonstrate a commitment to the wellbeing of deaf children, not the pursuit of personal gain or a political agenda. Sad to say, it’s difficult to get rich as an educator. Ideally, you teach or administer because you love the job, not for the money or perks.
seems to me protesting and being deaf are Synonymous. I swear, seldom to do I read about Governing Officials of Universities stepping down or being removed as a results of protest’s and deaf-o’s aren’t far behind.
I don’t understand this, there are thousands of livelihoods at stake all in the name of social justice. CNN made an article recently about Gallaudet possibly losing it’s accreditation as a result of poor education and bad university governance. While I agree the governance needs an overhaul….. But, the education? how do you improve education when the student body consists of mainly retards that can barely separate tangled jump ropes, much less think ahead and understand the consequences of their actions.
If, by some chance, Gallaudet ever closes down due to lack of funding, it’s probably a blessing. Nothing works for isolationists, nothing. Gallaudet has been horribly viewed by people, on one hand, as unstable and as an institution of feebs and the other as a mecca for a social identity instead of a place of Education.
Best of luck.
(yeah I’m a negative prick… simply because, I hate the fact that I’ll be stereotyped as one of the “those hearing impaired people.” I’ve enough problems to deal with.)
Have you ever considered that maybe people stereotype you as “one of those hearing impaired people” because you take such a negative, bitchy, chip-on-your-shoulder attitude about everything that only serves to promote that type of perspective amongst the very individuals whom you wish would see you in a more positive light???
It takes one to know one, Punky. If you don’t want to be viewed as one of those angry, argumentative, protesting feeble-minded retards…
then stop acting like one.
yer right.. i should stop acting like one.. i’ll go protest something. yay me!
sorry honeypie, i can’t be as positive and dreamy as you might be. forgive me.
that being said.. i think i have a pretty good idea of what comes from my actions, PARDON the HELL out of me for being upset when i can’t get a job cuz some retards decided it was more important to have 15 minutes of fame.
Hellow Punkybrewster:
I’d like to ask you what you think should be done to intervene in the cycle..? We can’t after all, expect young children to protest, and it’s when you’re youngest that you’re at the most crucial stage for language acquisition. Who you see as “Retards” (though I don’t agree with that particular term, but I certainly can empathize with the frustration that produces it) are products of one thing, and one thing alone: not being exposed to an easily accessible native language early in life.
So what do we do? Let it go? Isn’t that gross negligence, in a sense? For example, you and I and many deaf people on this blog write very well. Others may not write as well but the arguments are nonetheless clear. And there are people who make entirely clear and literate arguments on ASL vlogs. So we know for a fact–we’re living proof of it–that literacy in SOME language amongst deaf people is possible. But we also know that in a gut-churning number of cases, it doesn’t happen.
Can we agree that this is not a young deaf child’s (say between the age of birth and ten) fault? He has no say in who his parents are, what they do, where they send him to school, and what kind of teachers he has.
Beyond that, what can we agree on? That’s what I’m asking you (though it’s possible we might end up having to disagree even on the subject of young children).
I simply would like to know. I too, and I think a lot of people would agree with me–obviously don’t WANT to have to protest. I think we’d much rather prefer that things ALREADY be working. But they’re not.
So what do we do? What would you do? And again if we know that a deaf person can develop literacy skills but we don’t fight the conditions that produce illiteracy, ARE WE GUILTY OF NEGLIGENCE? I for one think that we are. It’s no different from, for example, knowing that the ice is thin on a lake and that a sign warning skaters of this has toppled over and now lies buried under the snow. Yet when we see a family heading out for the lake, skates slung over their shoulders, for some reason we don’t warn them.
Are we guilty? In the above example, yes. Now what about knowingly allowing the conditions that produce illiteracy to persist…?
Chris,
I appreciate your understanding, very much so. you are correct to assume that I am extremely frustrated and it burns me to the very pits of my stomach to see what has happened to a community that I used to hold dear.
Since you asked for my personal opinion, and I warn you it is probably extremely controversial as it will bash decades of social development. But before I say anything I’d like to answer your the question of whether we are guilty of negligence or not, we has Americans, no… we as a community yes.
Here’s why I believe it to be so, Times have changed, technology has changed, accessibility is is absolutely astounding at this point of time and will continue to improve quickly, not YESTERDAY as many people would prefer. I believe that “institutes for the deaf” are a thing of the past. It’s time to incorporate our deaf children to the mainstream. Keep in mind, I am not saying force the children to be oral, but to integrate into the culture of the larger community.
In my eyes, these “protesters” whom of which are mainly children of deaf institutes and deaf families or someone in need of a community to identify with, have been cut off with the realities of the world and isolated into a sheltered community that blinds them from the beautiful and harsh world beyond the walls of security.
I cannot and absolutely refuse to take part into any kind of action on my part to do anything about it. why? Because I will not sit on my behind and constantly defend myself to people who do not see the light. Each and everyone of us has a responsibility to stand of up for themselves and what they believe in, but.. not at the expense of someone else’s dreams and aspirations. It’s no big secret that only a small portion of the student body actually participated in the protests and a lot of non-students participated, but who suffered the most? The silent majority who were trying hard to make something of themselves and get an education that would hopefully impact their lives. now, their accredation is at risk and so is their livelihood. all because people wanted to preserve an identity.
The way our children are to be brought up is the number one objective. attempting the change the community as a whole will fall upon “deaf” ear’s. I don’t think we should encourage isolationism on our children, it only hurts them more than their actual disability.
Hi Punkybrewster:
Okay, now that’s a response I can work with. I have some agreements and some challenges…
When I personally see the word “institute,” I see a variety of things. One, I see a bunch of buildings. Two an educational philosophy (such as the Oralism or ASL Manualism). Three, I see a student body with diverse needs. Four, I see immediate community surrounding that student body, consisting of the parents, the alumni, the faculty, the administration, etc.
So when we say that institutes for the deaf are outmoded, what do we mean? Do we have something against a bunch of buildings? No. Do we have something against the educational philosophy? Some might, but PB (can I call you PB for short?), I don’t think that’s the case with you. You sign, yes? You don’t have an issue with signing per se? Or even necessarily an issue with Oralism..?
Are we against the student body? A lot of people can be, and what’s more, the older the students become, the greater the number of people alligned against them. That’s interesting. Almost nobody is against ANY five-year old deaf kid. Then again almost nobody expects a five-year old deaf kid to protest. So what does that mean? If it suggests that we only tolerate student bodies so long as they don’t stand up for what they believe in, what are we encouraging? Passivity? Fine, but then why do so many of us turn right around and bash our own people for being passive? “We as a deaf community are guilty of negligence,” we remember? Well, how are people usually, and primarily, negligent? Through passivity.
Now finally, four: the community itself. Can we be against the community? Oh, almost certainly, but it depends upon what we perceive that community to BE, what values we perceive it to hold. Not so long ago, for example, you could have easily made the argument that to be considered truly “Deaf” (note the capital D), you had to have: a) been born to Deaf parents and into a Deaf family; the more generations of Deaf ancestors the better… b) have attended a Deaf institution… and c) have learned ASL as your native language. The further one moved away from those three criteria, the less truly “Deaf” one could be.
So it’s not hard to understand how a lot of hard of hearing/hearing-impaired people felt alienated by that. For one thing, the first two criteria you have no choice over. And if people are constantly bashing you for the first two criteria, why bother to meet the third (learning ASL), something you DO have control over?
Oh, I can understand that frustration quite well. But PB, now I’m set for my challenges. And I’ll be typing them up shortly. But first I’d like for you to please tell me… amd I “on,” here? Or way off base?
You are pretty close,
Just for the record, I don’t have anything against signing or oralism, I do have something against a community coveting the fact that oralism is something bad, it should be a choice by the child but at the same time have all the options available when they get to that certain fork in the road. What better place than mainstream to allow those choices to bloom? Interpreters are available and used but so is speech therapy and english classes.
Chris, I am reluctant to attempt any change towards the Deaf community as a whole cuz it’s completely a waste of time. One doesn’t have the right to force another to their beliefs. But at the same time it should be everyones responsibility to make sure as much information is available all the time.
When I say, retards, morons, imbeciles, puerile asshats or what ever derogatory remark I make against someone out of frustration and confusion towards what i don’t understand, is because I know for a fact that I’m not going to be able to try and convince these protesters to understand that their actions could lead to much more disastrous measures, such as a possible school closure, loss of accrediation, loss of fundings and much worse give the wrong kind of impression of fanaticism to our children.
so yeah.. the best I can say at this point is close it all down and dive right into mainstream society and not depend anyone but yourself. however, that’s not for me to decide, it’s just a matter of opinion, so yes i remain passive and wait for the hammer to fall.
Hi PB:
Okay, fair enough. Everyone has the right to their opinion. But now I want to just give you one challenge, okay? Just one thing, and then I want you to discuss it with me. Simply in the spirit of give and take.
What I want to discuss is a quote from Gordon W. Allport’s The Nature of Prejudice (p. 335). The author discusses ego defense, or how people defend their beliefs (even if those beliefs are illogical, hostile, prejudiced, etc) through a series of psychological defense mechanism. One such defense mechanism is resorting to what is known as…
“‘The impression of universality’” often comes to the resuce of a prejudice. A stuent wrote, ‘There seems to be a unanimous feeling against the Jews, not only in this country, but throughout the world.’ The writer herself was, according to an attitude test, the most anti-Semitic individual in a group of one hundred students. She NEEDED to feel that her views had unanimous backing–which, of course, they didn’t. The Southern lawyer who told the jury in the lynching case that ‘no one would blame you if you let these men go free,’ was playing upon the ‘impression of universality.’ Social support for one’s views (whether the support is real or imaginary) validates these views and protects teh individual from harassing doubt and conflict.”
I realize that some of your comments come from anger, confusion, etc. It’s understandable, and no, I am not being patronizing. At one time I also felt these things towards not only hearing but also Deaf people. Sometimes I bump into an intolerant person on either end of the spectrum and feel that anger AGAIN. Plus I suffered my own fair share of pain and humiliation both in mainstream schools and in the Wisconsin School for the Deaf–for entirely different reasons.
But my challenge for you is this: do you see what you’re doing, at times? You’re saying that the protesters were really just a small group of students, which would imply that you’re not necessarily against protests as a concept but this one did not have popular support (an entirely separate issue I’ll address later), thus you’re against it. But then in other posts you imply that you’re against deaf people protesting at all. And yet in other posts you imply that present conditions churn your guts, and we as a Deaf Community are guilty of being negligent in doing anything about it. Yet you won’t do anything about it because you don’t want to be attacked for your views. Yet you once used to hold the community dear to your heart.
I want to tell you that I understand you. You may not believe that, but I do. But I also understand other things, other social mechanisms–colonization, for example–that I will not allow to exist. Maybe the institutions really are isolated, and maybe our segregation from mainstream society really is hurting us. In fact I agree that it is, in many ways. But I also know that “mainstream society” quite well, and that’s one thing you and I disagree on. You say that we as Americans are not guilty of negligence… hell, it’s Hearing America’s ignorance that starts this ball of oppression, fear, frustration, isolation, and rage rolling.
We play our own part, to be sure, but so do they.
I also want to add, too, that the “impression of universality” thing above applies directly to your argument about a silent majority agreeing with you. Maybe that’s true, and maybe not.
But what if that’s primarily just what you need to believe?
I ask that respectfully. Just consider it. Is it possible?
um not quite what I’m trying to get at. I appreciate the psychological and anthropological explanations. but, does this kind of behavior have to continue? simply because some schmuck who’s published gives an explanation?
Let me say this.. I’ve mentioned this to friends before, it’s something to think about:
In all things in retrospect, Do you think that the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the known universe is that, quite simply, none of it has tried to contact us?
No, see, there it is again. Not just an author, but a “schmuck.” A person whom you don’t know… not really. Of everything the guy has written, I’ve posted one paragraph. And he’s a schmuck.
Ego defense. We get too close to a truth that we don’t want to deal with, so we utilize a defense mechanism… and we don’t deal with it.
But what’s so uncomfortable about the truth? Or at least this one segment of the overall truth? Why can’t we become comfortable with the idea that NOT all deaf protesters are illiterate Retards who can’t accept any other version of Deaf Identity other than their own little narrow definitions? Why is it so hard to accept that literate Deaf people who are quite open to a variety of types of Deaf Identity might ALSO protest despicable conditions? What stops us from acknowledging that group? What stops us from acknowledging that particular group might be the vast majority of protesters, and the other group, the illiterate ignorant intolerant group, actually makes up the minority of a given group of protesters? Why can’t it be possible? What stops us from accepting this? What is it within ourselves that we’re trying to protect?
I’ll leave you alone now, PB, if you want me to, but if you’d like to keep discussing this, I’m game. And I hope you’ll remember, I do agree with some things you’ve said, and I do empathize with the frustration.
you aren’t discussing anything, you are merely trying to get me to admit that I’m more an ass than you are.
I think you took the word “schmuck” as an insult,perhaps you can replace it with the word “guy,” but that’s too much for you? This is what I AM talking about, no matter what I say, the slightest controversial thing is going to be attacked. So what’s the point?
All this psychology and anthropology people keep throwing at me to support their arguments doesn’t hold water, I’m aware of what happened THEN, people dont’ want to change and the easiest way to get something done is cry about it, if that crying don’t work.. cry more but louder next time. waaa waa waaa. Like little babies. Instead of growing and thinking about the consequences of what you do, someone else gets hurt in the ripples.
so take your empathy for my frustration elsewhere. I don’t want your empathy. I simply want you to say something that I don’t hear from every other person that tries to justify their actions for what happened at gallaudet. esta claro?
heh, are you actually trying to convince me that if I’m paying 13 grand a year to go to some university so I can LEARN something and develop my social skills, in hopes to get a job dispite my hearing loss, that I should just “Well, it’s their right to protest … i’m out 13 grand… no biggie! have at it! it’s me that’s the selfish one, i’m just here to learn something.
Well, okay. I’ll leave you to your opinion, then…
I expected no less…… =)
No… not fair. I’m not the bad guy here. If this were about me really not wanting to discuss the issues, I simply wouldn’t have replied to you at all. And if it were a case of you not being able to convince people that their actions have adverse consequences, no matter what, then I never would have agreed that you have a point here and there.
I withhdrew from this discussion becaus