Search results for ""Gallaudet University Press""

When Richard Medugno and his wife Brenda learned in 1993 that their17-month-old daughter Miranda was deaf, they grieved, as many hearing parents do. Soon, however, Medugno seized hold of the need to take positive action for Miranda. Deaf Daughter, Hearing Father recounts the remarkable story of their journey during the past fourteen years. Medugno first researched the best communication mode for Miranda. Quickly dismissing the speech pathology model, he and his wife chose ASL alone as the best, natural language for Miranda. He surrounded his daughter with opportunities to learn ASL, by arranging to meet deaf individuals and families, and also by hiring deaf babysitters. He also determined to learn ASL himself, to ensure communication with his daughter. As Miranda neared school age, Medugno spearheaded a transcontinental search for exactly the right school for her education. So that Miranda could attend the California School for the Deaf (CSD), the Medugno family moved from Toronto, Canada to Fremont, CA. In "Deaf Daughter, Hearing Father", Medugno shares practical information on many of the common challenges faced by hearing parents. He provides a list of games that hearing and deaf children can play together, an important consideration for many families. His enthusiasm for all possibilities, from exploring the potential of video phones to helping stage CSD musicals, reveals his abiding devotion to Miranda. Such a foundation has enabled her to feel proud, confident, and happy in her pursuits. At the same time, Medugno recognizes that the rewards of having a deaf daughter are far greater than he could have hoped for or imagined.

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Mark Rigney succinctly depicts the progress of one college-s production of the 1957 classic American musical West Side Story, from the clashes between the deaf high school cast members and their hearing counterparts to the final production.

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Twenty-four international scholars contribute articles on linguistic and cultural diversity in deaf communities worldwide, including Japan, Viet Nam, Nigeria, Ireland, Brazil, and the United States. The wide- ranging topics include the evolution of British fingerspelling beginning in the 17th centur

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The Deaf Way II Anthology brings together stellar contributions by 16 international writers who are deaf or hard of hearing. This remarkable collection features poetry, essays, short stories, and one play, all of which offer thought-provoking perspectives on elements from the personal universes of these gifted authors. Many are United States writers well-known for their past publications, such as Douglas Bullard, Willy Conley, Christopher Heuer, and Raymond Luczak, while the outstanding work of John Lee Clark, volume editor Tonya Stremlau, Melissa Whalen, and several others have been collected for the first time in this volume. The international contributions further distinguish this anthology, ranging from poetry by Romanian Carmen Cristiu, verse by Sibylle Gurtner May from Switzerland, to a play by Nigerian Sotonwa Opeoluwa. All of the writers showcased in The Deaf Way II Anthology portray the Deaf experience with unmatched authenticity, presenting a perfect introduction to the Deaf world. Simultaneously, their work demonstrates that deaf and hard of hearing people can write at the highest aesthetic level and offer invaluable insights on the complete human spectrum.

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As the practice of mainstreaming deaf and hard-of-hearing children into general classrooms continues to proliferate, the performance of these students becomes critical. This volume assesses the progress of three second-grade deaf students to demonstrate the importance of placement, context and language in their development. The book points out that these deaf children were placed in two different environments: with the general population of hearing students, and separately with other deaf and hard-of-hearing children. The study reveals that although both settings were ostensibly educational, inclusion in the general population was done to comply with the law, not to establish specific goals for the deaf children. In contrast, self-contained classes for deaf and hard-of-hearing children were designed especially to concentrate upon their particular learning needs. The book also demonstrates that the key educational element of language development cannot be achieved in a social vacuum, which deaf children face in the real isolation of the mainstream classroom.

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This is an instructional guide for hearing parents of deaf and hard-of-hearing children. It provides information on: parental feelings about hearing loss and how to cope with these feelings; family communication methods; family unity; child development; behaviour management techniques; problem-solving strategies; assistive devices; education choices; and an introduction to the deaf community.

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"Chris was having trouble with his ears. He just couldn't hear right ... every time anyone said anything, Chris would shout 'WHAT?'" Chris Gets Ear Tubes explains what happens before, during, and after the surgery in language a child understands. It takes away the child's natural fear of the unknown. The charming full-color illustrations familiarize the child with the hospital procedures.

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The legal system is complex, and without appropriate access, many injustices can occur. Deaf people in the criminal justice system are routinely denied sign language interpreters, videophone access, and other accommodations at each stage of the legal process. The marginalization of deaf people in the criminal justice system is further exacerbated by the lack of advocates who are qualified to work with this population. Deaf People in the Criminal Justice System: Selected Topics on Advocacy, Incarceration, and Social Justice is the first book to illuminate the challenges faced by deaf people when they are arrested, incarcerated, or navigating the court system. This volume brings interdisciplinary contributors together to shed light on both the problems and solutions for deaf people in these circumstances. The contributors address issues such as accessibility needs; gaps regarding data collection and the need for more research; additional training for attorneys, court personnel, and prison staff; the need for more qualified sign language interpreters, including Certified Deaf Interpreters who provide services in court, prison, and juvenile facilities; substance use disorders; the school to prison nexus; and the need for advocacy. Students in training programs, researchers, attorneys, mental health professionals, sign language interpreters, family members, and advocates will be empowered by this much-needed resource to improve the experiences and outcomes for deaf people in the criminal justice system. This book has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this book do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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Sign language interpreter education is a relatively young field that is moving toward more theory-based and research-oriented approaches. The concept of sharing research, which is strongly encouraged in this academic community, inspired Christine Monikowski to develop a volume that collects and distills the best teaching practices of leading academics in the interpreting field. In Conversations with Interpreter Educators, Monikowski assembles a group of 17 professors in the field of sign language interpretation. Through individual interviews conducted via Skype, Monikowski engages them in informal conversations about their teaching experiences and the professional publications that have influenced their teaching philosophies. She guides each conversation by asking these experts to share a scholarly publication that they assign to their students. They discuss the merits of the text and its role in the classroom, which serves to highlight the varying goals each professor sets for students. The complexity of the interpreting task, self-reflection, critical thinking, linguistics, backchannel feedback, and cultural understanding are a sampling of topics explored in these exchanges. Engaging and accessible, Monikowski's conversations offer evidence-based practices that will inform and inspire her fellow educators.

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In Understanding International Sign, Lori A. Whynot examines International Sign (IS) to determine the extent it is comprehended by signers from different countries. She focuses exclusively on expository lecture IS used in conference settings and presents the first empirical research on its effectiveness for communicating rich information to diverse audience members. International Sign is regarded as a lingua franca that is employed by deaf people to communicate with other deaf people who do not share the same conventionalized local sign language. Contrary to widely-held belief, sign languages are not composed of a unified system of universal gestures rather, they are distinctly different, and most are mutually unintelligible from one another. The phenomenon of IS has emerged through increased global interaction during recent decades, driven by a rise in the number of international conferences and events and by new technologies that allow for enhanced global communication. IS is gaining acceptance for providing communicative access to conference audience members who do not have knowledge of the designated conference languages, and it is being recruited for use due to the prohibitive expense of providing interpreting services in numerous different sign languages. However, it is not known how well audience members understand IS, and it may actually limit equal access to the interpreted information. Whynot compares IS to native sign languages and analyzes the distribution of linguistic elements in the IS lexicon and their combined effect on comprehension. Her findings indicate that audiences with diverse sign languages understand much less of IS presentations than has been previously assumed. Whynot's research has crucial implications for expository IS usage, training, and interpreting and sheds light on the strengths and weaknesses inherent in cross-linguistic, signed contact settings.

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Reflecting the exponential growth of college courses offering American Sign Language (ASL) as a foreign language, high schools have followed suit with significant increases in ASL classes during the past two decades. Despite this trend, high school ASL teachers and program administrators possess no concrete information on why students take ASL for foreign language credit, how they learn new signs and grammar, and how different learning techniques determines their achievement in ASL. This new book addresses these issues to better prepare high schools in their recruitment and education of new ASL students. Author Russell S. Rosen begins with the history of ASL as a foreign language in high schools, including debates about the foreign language status of ASL, the situation of deaf and hard of hearing students in classes, and governmental recognition of ASL as a language. Based on his study of five high school ASL programs, he defines the factors that motivate students, including community and culture, and analyzes strategies for promoting language processing and learning. Learning American Sign Language in High School provides strategies for teaching ASL as a second language to students with learning disabilities as well. Its thorough approach ensures the best opportunity for high school students to attain high levels of achievement in learning ASL.

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Told through a series of quirky, irreverent short stories and letters home during the early 1980s, The Deaf Heart chronicles a year in the life of Dempsey "Max" McCall, a Deaf biomedical photography resident at a teaching hospital on the island of Galveston, Texas. Max strives to become certified as a Registered Biological Photographer while straddling the deaf and hearing worlds. He befriends Reynaldo, an impoverished Deaf Mexican, and they go on a number of unusual escapades around the island. At the hospital, Max has to contend with hearing doctors, nurses, scientists, and teachers. While struggling through the rigors of his residency and running into bad luck in meeting women, Max discovers an ally in his hearing housemate Zag, a fellow resident who is also vying for certification. Toward the end of his residency, Max meets Maddy, a Deaf woman who helps bring balance to his life. Author Willy Conley's stories, some humorous, some poignant, reveal Max's struggles and triumphs as he attempts to succeed in the hearing world while at the same time navigating the multicultural and linguistic diversity within the Deaf world.

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Includes the cultural perceptions by and of deaf people, the assimilation of deaf children to surrounding communities, the role that society's view of deaf people plays in affecting how deaf people view themselves, the impact of bilingualism in deaf communities, and transliteration.

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The second volume in the Gallaudet Deaf Literature series showcases the work of Deaf writers from 1830 to 1930 during a critical formative period in their history. Excerpted works include autobiographies, travel narratives, romances, nonfiction, short stories, editorials, descriptive pieces, and other forms of prose. The evocative observations offered therein, many explicitly addressing deafness and sign language, reflect an urgency to record Deaf American life during a volatile and changing era in the nation's, and the world's, history. Using sensory details, dialogue, characterization, and narrative movement, the writers anthologized in this collection keenly illustrate the resilience of Deaf people in the face of direct and indirect threats to their way of life.

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"Mrs. Sigourney in Hartford" brings together the poems and prose of Lydia Huntley Sigourney (1791 - 1865) inspired by her deep dedication to those neglected by the traditional educational system, especially people who are deaf. Sigourney played a key role in the fledgling American deaf community, influencing Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet in his formation of the first American school for the deaf. The writings collected here are a testament to Sigourney's foresight and will reinstate her importance in the history of the deaf community.

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More than thirty years after the groundbreaking publication of "Angels and Outcasts: An Anthology of Deaf Characters in Literature", Edna Edith Sayers re-envisions the anthology for the twenty-first century. In "Outcasts and Angels: The New Anthology of Deaf Characters in Literature", Sayers shows us the work of eminent and underrepresented deaf and hearing writers to encourage readers to come to terms with ingrained perceptions and biases towards the deaf. Sayers introduces three lesser known deaf writers: Charlotte Elizabeth (1790-1846), Howard Tracy Hofsteater (1909-64), and Douglas Bullard (1937-2005), but also includes luminaries such as Daniel Defoe, Flannery O'Connor, and Julian Barnes. Finally, Sayers features a global cast, including South African writer Nadine Gordimer, Danish writer Karen von Blixen-Finecke (writing as Isak Dinesen), and Lithuanian writer Juozas Grusas. "Outcasts and Angels" is sure to take its place with "Angels and Outcasts" as an insightful and important contribution to the field.

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By conducting interviews with seven deaf children, ages seven to ten, Martha Sheridan offers a fresh look at their private thoughts and feelings in this watershed book. Each child possesses a unique cultural background, and Sheridan communicated with each child in his or her preferred method of communication. Her procedure remained consistent with each: in addition to standard questions, Sheridan asked each child to draw a picture based on his or her life, then tell a story about it. Next, she showed them magazine pictures and asked them to describe what they saw. The results proved to be as varied as they were engaging. Angie, an adopted deaf girl who communicates in Signed English, expressed a desire to attend a hearing college when she grows up while also stating she hoped her own children will be deaf. Joe, an African-American, hard of hearing boy, drew pictures of deaf people who are teased in public school, reflecting his own difficult experiences. Sheridan calls upon her tenure as a social worker as well as her own experience as a deaf child growing up in a hearing family in analyzing her study's results. She writes, "These children have strengths, they have positive experiences, and they enjoy positive relationships." "Inner Lives of Deaf Children" will prove to be an enlightening read for parents and scholars alike.

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At last, Ruth Sidranksy's groundbreaking book "In Silence: Growing Up Hearing in a Deaf World" is back in print. Her account of growing up as the hearing daughter of deaf Jewish parents in the Bronx and Brooklyn during the 1930s and 1940s reveals the challenges deaf people faced during the Depression and afterward. Inside her family's apartment, Sidransky knew a warm, secure place. She recalls her earliest memories of seeing words fall from her parents' hands. She remembers her father entertaining the family endlessly with his stories, and her mother's story of tying a red ribbon to herself and her infant daughter to know when she needed anything in the night. Outside the apartment, the cacophonous hearing world greeted Sidransky's family with stark stares of curiosity as though they were "freaks." Always upbeat, her proud father still found it hard to earn a living. When Sidransky started school, she was placed in a class for special needs children until the prinicipal realized that she could hear and speak. Sidransky portrays her family with deep affection and honesty, and her frank account provides a living narrative of the Deaf experience in pre- and post-World War II America. "In Silence" has become an invaluable chronicle of a special time and place that will affect all who read it for years to come.

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"Deaf Learners: Developments in Curriculum and Instruction", edited by Donald F. Moores and David S. Martin, presents an in-depth collection by 17 renowned international scholars that details a developmental framework to maximize academic success for deaf students from kindergarten through grade 12. Part One: The Context commences with an overview of the state of general education and that of deaf learners, followed by a state-of-the art philosophical position on the selection of curriculum. Part Two: The Content considers critical subjects for deaf learners and how to deliver them, including mathematics, print literacy, science, social studies, and physical education. This section also addresses the role of itinerant services, as well as how to teach Deaf culture, provide for students with multiple disabilities, and facilitate school-to-work transitions. Chapters in Part Three: Instructional Considerations across the Curriculum provides suggestions and guidelines for assessing and planning programs for deaf students using meaningful contexts; optimizing the academic performance of deaf students with emphasis on access and opportunities; implementing a cognitive strategy that encourages teaching for and about thinking as an overriding principle; establishing instructional and practical communication in the classroom, especially in relation to ASL and English-based signing; and solving old problems with new strategies, including web-based technologies, resources, and applications. The lessons of these assembled scholars coalesce in the Part Four: Summary as a general recommendation for ongoing adaptability, a fitting capstone to this extraordinary volume of work.

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