Remember this one? "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers." Especially when they have some support from the Government. Deafhood is not merely a movement, it's a hideous, dangerous and counter-productive ideology. Many of the people associated with Deafhood are mere followers, they really have no idea just how destructive this movement/ideology is. This "thing" has destroyed and altered terribly the lives of many already, usually those who cannot stand against them and succumb. Among them are young children whose parents unwittingly commit them to deaf schools where those pushing Deaf Culture and Deafhood assimilate them into "Deaf Culture" as a source of raw recruits for future members. Deaf Culture is dying, yet they're trying to revive it. These children are shut out of the usage of speech and hearing as much as they can possibly be, without raising suspicions and creating a conflict with state authorities. Deafhood has expanded it's control of state schools for the deaf and enforces it's Deaf Culture and ASL-only doctrine as the only mode of communication. I have witnessed the repudiation of "SIMCOM" or "Total Communication" where any staff member using this means faced discipline and termination. NO speech is allowed, ASL only! Turn off your voice! The parents of these children unwittingly placed within those cultures have no idea what their child is being subjected to. The Deaf deny them that right to know, going so far as to use speech during parental visits, but speech ends as soon as the parents are gone!

State lawmakers need to investigate what is going on within government funded schools. These schools do not belong to the Deaf! These schools are publicly funded schools for all of society and have been hijacked.

I am going to stop here but will be posting more in the future. My pseudonym for this forum: Fiver. I fully expect the Deafhood "leadership" to start looking for me now, asI am within their ranks, the most dangerous threat to their plans.

I am: Fiver! 

ASDB’s mission is to work with parents, school districts, and others to enable children with a vision or hearing loss to develop their abilities, strive to achieve academic excellence, and develop skills to help them become productive and responsible members of society. This mission aligns with ASDB’s statutory responsibility to provide educational services, including instruction in a direct communication environment, so that deaf, hard-of-hearing, and visually impaired students may become self-sustaining and useful citizens.

TO: All Schools Staff
FROM: Robert Hill, Superintendent
DATE: May 9, 2013
RE: Conduct Expectations in the ASDB Workplace and Schools
Over the past several weeks our schools have been involved in multiple levels of protests on and off campuses. While employees may voluntarily choose to participate in protests and related activities off campuses during non-work hours, employees are expected to maintain conduct during the school day and on campuses that promotes an environment conducive to learning, focuses on the approved curriculum, minimizes disruption, and ensures a safe and productive environment for staff and students. This communication is to remind all employees of specific policies in this regard.  

Board Policy GBEB, Staff Conduct: All employees of the Schools are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with effective and orderly education and to protect students and Schools property. No employee shall, by action or inaction, disrupt any Schools activity or encourage any such disruption. All employees shall at all times attempt to maintain order, abide by the policies, rules, and regulations of the Schools, and carry out all applicable orders issued by the Superintendent. Potential consequences to employees of the Schools who violate these rules may include, but are not limited to:  

• Removal from Schools grounds.
• Both civil and criminal sanctions, which may include, but are not limited to, criminal proceedings under Title 13, Chapter 29, of the Arizona Revised Statutes.
• Reprimand.
• Suspension.
• Dismissal. 

Administrative Regulation GBEB-R, Staff Conduct: No employee while on or using Schools property, otherwise acting as an agent, or working in an official capacity for the Schools shall engage in:  

Failure to comply with lawful direction of Schools officials, security officers, or any other law-enforcement officer, or failure to identify oneself to such officials or officers when lawfully requested to do so.
Any conduct that may obstruct, disrupt, or interfere with teaching, research, service, administrative, or disciplinary functions of the Schools, or any other activity sponsored or approved by the Board.
Maintain order in a manner consistent with Schools policies and regulations.
Dress and maintain a general appearance that reflects their position and does not detract from the educational program of the school.  

Board Policy GBEA, Staff Ethics: All employees of the Schools are expected to maintain high standards in their school relationships...The employees acknowledge that the Schools belong to the public they serve for the purpose of providing educational opportunities to all. However, every employee assumes responsibility for providing leadership in the school and community. This responsibility requires the employee to maintain standards of exemplary conduct. It must be recognized that the employee’s actions will be viewed and appraised by the community, associates, and students. The Schools employees:   

Make the well-being of students the fundamental value of all decision making and actions.    

Maintain just, courteous, and proper relationships with students, parents, staff members, and others.  

Fulfill job responsibilities with honesty and integrity.  

Refrain from using school contacts and privileges to promote partisan politics, sectarian religious views, or propaganda of any kind.  

Avoid using position for personal gain through political, social, religious, economic, or other influence.   

The specific expectation is that all employees conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times as they carry out their duties and responsibilities. Conduct that negatively impacts staff and student morale and productivity, and that disrupts the work environment and the educational programming for students is strictly prohibited.   

Employees are asked to be mindful of conduct that may be found to violate ASDB policies, including but not limited to the following:    

Active or passive encouragement of students to refuse to comply with directions of any school official.  

Active or passive encouragement of students to be out of classrooms for non- instructional or non-curriculum purposes (e.g., protesting, making protest signs/posters, allowing students to wear masks or T-shirts with inappropriate comments, etc.).  

Obvious or subtle bullying, intimidation, and discourteous treatment of others who may not share the same opinions or views. 

More obvious bullying and intimidating tactics may involve the display of signage, buttons, stickers, T-shirts with inappropriate comments, etc., in the workplace and/or in the schools. 

More subtle bullying and intimidating tactics may involve an orchestrated effort to wear the same color T-shirts on the same day as an attempt to identify those who are for or against a specific point of view.  

There are approximately two weeks of school remaining with many activities happening on both campuses including graduations. It is imperative that we make these last days of the school year meaningful and safe for all involved. Your cooperation is critical to fulfilling our commitment to students and to closing this year on a positive note. I ask you to continue to lead by example and remember that our primary focus is the students.  

Thank you for your continued dedication to ASDB.

Creating this bionic ear was not really intended for those who are deaf or don't have ears, McAlpine said, but rather: "The idea of this was: can you take a normal, healthy, average human and give them superpower that they wouldn't normally have?"

This bill would additionally require the Superintendent, upon
consultation with a group of experts on the  deaf 
 Deaf  and hard-of-hearing, to develop standards that are
aligned to the common core academic content standards, for 
deaf  Deaf  and hard-of-hearing pupils to learn,
and achieve mastery of and literacy in, American Sign Language as a
child progresses through kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
The bill would require the Superintendent to recommend these
standards to the state board by March 30, 2015.
   (2) Existing law requires the state board to adopt braille reading
and mathematics standards for visually impaired pupils by June 1,
2006.
   This bill would require the state board to adopt braille reading
and mathematics standards for blind and visually impaired pupils that
are aligned to the common core academic content standards by June
30, 2015, as specified. The bill would require county offices of
education, school districts, and special education local plan areas
to provide blind and visually impaired pupils opportunities for
instruction to master the standards adopted by the state board,
thereby imposing a state-mandated local program.
   This bill would also require the state board to adopt American
Sign Language standards for  deaf   Deaf 
and hard-of-hearing pupils that are aligned to the common core
academic content standards by June 30, 2015, as specified. The bill
would require county offices of education, school districts, and
special education local plan areas to provide  deaf 
 Deaf  and hard-of-hearing pupils opportunities for
instruction to master the standards adopted by the state board,
thereby imposing a state-mandated local program.

Article 3.6.  Individualized Education Program for Deaf and
Hard-of-hearing Pupils


   56355.  (a) The Superintendent shall consult with a group of
experts on the  deaf  Deaf  and
hard-of-hearing to develop standards that are aligned to the common
core academic content standards to learn, and achieve the mastery of
and literacy in, American Sign Language as a pupil progresses through
kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
   (b) The group of experts shall include, but shall not be limited
to, members representing all of the following:
   (1) Parents of  deaf   Deaf  and
hard-of-hearing pupils.
   (2) Teachers of  deaf   Deaf  and
hard-of-hearing pupils.
   (3) Researchers in the field of deafness and auditory impairment.
   (4) Curriculum and instructional specialists with experience with
 deaf   Deaf  and hard-of-hearing pupils.
   (5) Groups that advocate for teaching of, and use of, American
Sign Language.
   (c) At least one-half of the members of the group of experts shall
be currently employed public schoolteachers.
   (d) The standards described in subdivision (a) shall be developed
for pupils who are  deaf   Deaf  or
hard-of-hearing and who use American Sign Language as their primary
language or literacy access mode.
   (e) The Superintendent shall make a recommendation to the state
board regarding the standards developed pursuant to subdivision (a)
by March 30, 2015.
   56356.  (a) Except as provided in subdivision (c), by June 30,
2015, the state board shall adopt American Sign Language literacy
standards that are aligned to the common core academic content
standards for pupils who are  deaf   Deaf 
or hard-of-hearing and use American Sign Language as their primary
language or literacy access mode.

Though many of the tunnels are now said to be boarded up at the ends (thus would not lead to downtown Washington), the student body at Georgetown has long been fascinated by the importance of the tunnels and where they can lead to. The adventurous students search the school looking for entrances to the tunnels, hoping to travel through them to see where they may lead. There are rumors of many entrances to the tunnels, but the most popular of them seem to be from Healy Hall. 

There are doors on the side of the building that are always open, and lead directly into a maze of tunnels. Upon entering, you will see a lot of secret society type drawings on the wall. The tunnels from Healy seem to end at a broiler and contain heat pipes all along the way, which lends credence to the theory about heat pipes. Though other tunnel entrances are said to go much further into the city, the farthest I have heard of someone traveling is 3 blocks from the main gates of campus.

Few are likely to know what lies beneath them: more than 75,000 square feet of tunnels that haven’t been open to the public in 15 years.

To access them isn’t simple: The only way the public gets there is through a tour led by the Arts Coalition for the Dupont Underground, which has permission from the city to lead groups to the site it hopes to redevelop. And the only pathway to enter those tunnels is by walking down a narrow underpass where cars and buses whiz perilously close by. Upon entering the tunnels through a nondescript door, visitors are greeted by a cloud of darkness and stale musk. Welcome to the Dupont Underground.

The tunnels – which run N Street to S Street – originally served the city’s streetcar system from about 1949 to 1962. Since then, the tunnels have been virtually unused, save for a short-live food court called Dupont Down Under that opened in 1995 and failed spectacularly, closing the following year. Today, on a tour led by flashlight, visitors see little more than graffiti, signs indicating station exits, and rail tracks that haven't been used in a half-century.

I choose to capitalize "Deaf" for all Deaf (and Hard of Hearing) people, not to signify any cultural affiliation, but to emphasize the common ethnicity of Deaf people. I believe that the d/D distinction is unnecessarily divisive, cumbersome, and ultimately more trouble than it is worth, although it did serve an important purpose in its time. But using Deaf for all does not signify cultural membership, just as not all Black people are necessarily part of Black culture or all Jews are practicing religious Jews.

We use the lowercase deaf when referring to the audiological condition of not hearing, and the uppercase Deaf when referring to a particular group of deaf people who share a language – American Sign Language (ASL) – and a culture. The members of this group have inherited their sign language, use it as a primary means of communication among themselves, and hold a set of beliefs about themselves and their connection to the larger society. We distinguish them from, for example, those who find themselves losing their hearing because of illness, trauma or age; although these people share the condition of not hearing, they do not have access to the knowledge, beliefs, and practices that make up the culture of Deaf people.

"Deaf is a term that includes all the individuals: born deaf, deafened in early, sometimes late childhood, for whom American Sign Language and Deaf community/culture collectively represent their primary experience and existence regardless of hearing disability they have.”

Deaf with a capital D is a cultural term, rather than an audiological one. As defined by Carol Padden and Tom Humphries in Deaf in America: Voices from a Culture (1988), Deaf refers ‘to a particular group of deaf people who share a language—American Sign Language (ASL)—and a culture.”

Commenters have used a range of words to describe the illustration, including powerful, evocative, propaganda, utter nonsense, crap, an evil depiction, sensationalistic, and patently false. Winship himself has been accused of brainwashing, labeled a sick person, and called a cunt, “closed-minded arrogant twat,” and wacko on the same level as members of the Westboro Baptist Church. Others have made assumptions, including that Winship must be an ex-implantee, that he doesn’t have children – much less any with “a birth defect” – and that his illustration reflects the opinion of the entire deaf community.

"I do not support a sick person who thinks this is what a cochlear implant surgery looks like.  I'm 100% sure you have never seen the actual surgery. It's a beautiful thing!"

We gave our daughter cochlear implants when she was an infant. We made this long and difficult decision based on the research that was available to us, based on the educational resources available in our area, based on the nature of her deafness, and, yes, based on our own biases and desires. She had her surgeries before she was old enough to make the choice for herself, because to wait so long means to give her hearing long after her developing brain can make the best use of it. It is a well-known and long-researched phenomenon that pre-lingual implantation leads to vastly improved speech and hearing skills. But you call it child abuse. You call it cosmetic surgery on an infant, and more than once you called me a monster for it. It is not child abuse, to make complicated decisions about your kids without their input - it's called parenting. Nor is it cosmetic to give my kid a developmental boost. So: f*ck you for heaping accusations of pre-lingual cosmetic surgery child abuse on me.

Our family is learning ASL, and have been since we learned our daughter was profoundly deaf. We will use sign as a second language, indefinitely. My wife is in school to become an interpreter. Nor do we believe in a purely oralist tradition; we acknowledge the importance of communication between deaf people without assistance. We get it, ok? We're committed. But because we gave our daughter cochlear implants, you automatically believe that we're out to destroy ASL, to destroy Deaf culture. You never listen to our reasoning, because what do we know? We're motivated by a desire to mingle in both worlds, and yet we're constantly scoffed at by the Deafies on principle. So: f*** you for your pernicious false dichotomies.

"Precisely because of all the reactions posted on the image and its iterations across the Internet, Winship’s art must NOT be censored, as some demanded, or even labeled as bullying, as the operators of thedeafcommunity.org have done."

De'VIA (Deconstructing the Forced Assimilation of Deaf People) resistent art used as tactis to scare, bully and silence anyone who is pro-options for deaf children. De'VIA art is exhibited in places such as Gallaudet University.  For the an example of one such work, click on one of these links:

http://www.zazzle.com/the_deaf_militants_battle_with_the_hydra_monster_poster-228388261844109024

 

http://pinterest.com/silentmobster42/deaf-militants-battle-with-hydra-monster/

 

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=349626648493186&id=325226907599827

 

This example was shared among numerous sites on the internet in May 2013. Do note, "The Deaf Militants Battle with the Hydra Monster" poster is available for sale but without the permission of the person(s) represented on the image.
 

Lipreading, on which I rely for most social interaction, is an inherently tenuous mode of communication. It's essentially a skill of trying to grasp with one sense the information that was intended for another. When I watch people's lips, I am trying to learn something about sound when the eyes were not meant to hear.

Sometimes I feel guilty that I lipread at all. I fear that I am betraying myself by accepting the conventions of the hearing world. I fear that I lack balance—that I am abandoning the communication tactics that work for me, in order to throw myself headlong at a system that does not care about my needs. When I attempt to function like a hearing person, am I not sacrificing my integrity to a game that I lack the tools to tackle, a game that in the end makes me look slow or stupid?

Deaf people—meaning Deaf people who live solely in the Deaf community, and hold on to an inherent pride in their Deafness—often speak of communicating as they please and letting the hearing world "deal with it." They believe in the beauty and, dare I say it, the superiority of sign language. Spoken language, compared with the visual nuances of signing, might as well be caveman guttural grunts.

When I lipread, I leave the clarity of sign language behind. I attempt to communicate with hearing people on their terms, with no expectation that they will return the favor. The standards I am striving for seem ridiculous: I am trying singlehandedly to cross the chasm of disability. Might not my stubbornness be of more harm than good?

I struggle with this. Some days I wonder what it would be like if I refused to speak. I could roll out of bed one morning, decide to take control of my communication on my terms, and make everyone write it down or sign, as other Deaf people do. Some days I resent myself. I wonder if I am weak, ashamed or overly anxious to please.

I am 12 and at a summer camp for the deaf. The entire group has just gone whitewater rafting and is stopping to get ice cream. My peers line up by the counter, signing to each other about the flavors they want. I smile and join, finding the conversation perfectly normal. But when the clerk speaks to us, the other kids freeze like mice after the shadow of a hawk has swooped over the grass.  

With a jolt, I realize that they have no means with which to understand this hearing woman. Most do not speak, go to deaf schools, have never had reason to learn to lipread. Their barrier is the same as mine, but completely—instead of partially—insurmountable.  

"What did you say?" I ask the store attendant, looking her in the eye. My voice feels thick from disuse, but still I am aware of its clarity. The other kids stare at me, their hands slack.  

"I said, would you like a free sample?" the attendant says. I understand her and sign the message to the others. They nod, and sign which flavors they want to taste. I repeat, speaking, to the attendant.  

After the ordering, when I finally sit down, my own ice cream in hand, I feel strangely lightheaded. This—being able to endow spoken words with meaning, rather than having them translated by somebody else—is new for me. Because I have so often felt powerless, I have never realized the power that I possess.

Lastly, it's painfully clear to me that the writer has issues with her Deaf identity and is ashamed of being Deaf. How sad. Even worse...it's clear that the writer has been trained by the hearing society that she owes them problem-free communication, and that it's her responsibility to ensure that they never feel uncomfortable and her task to make sure that they never misunderstand her. Wrong on all counts. Communication is TWO-WAY PROCESS and does not lie with *one* person. Dump your misguided guilt, Rachel. You owe them nothing.

Now, Kolb's comment about discovering the power after the ice cream shop incident, she's basically taking the power away from the other Deaf kids. I've found their reaction hard to believe because we're so used to hearing people talking to us. Well, if that's really the case, then blame on their teachers or parents for not teaching them to find a way to communicate, rather than to rely on someone else to facilitate the communication. Spending time trying to figure what people are saying is a total waste of time. Getting out pen and paper is relatively a simple task. Apparently, many people are either illiterate or lazy. Kolb, you're doing more harm than good, really. You're only perpetuating dysfunctional & paternalistic thinking in hearing people.

I believe that the statement. "I have never realized the power that I possess.." defeats what you are trying to tell us.  You explain in detail how frustrating you are with the ineffectiveness of lipreading yet now you are grateful for having that "skill" just because you feel the power of using it.