Roadblocks in the Development of a Bilingual/Bicultural Program: Theory vs. Reality
Mary DiGiovanna and Penelope Tierney
(Abridged Version for Proceedings)
Cleary School for the Deaf is a day school located in Lake Ronkonkoma, Long Island, N.Y., serving students, who have at least an 80db hearing loss, from birth to 21 years of age. Presently there are 58 students and three infants on the Ronkonkoma campus, and 14 students at the mainstreamed program in the East Islip School District.
Cleary School began as an oral program. In 1975 a Total Communication philosophy was adopted and simultaneous communication was implemented throughout the program. In the early 1980s the employment of staff members who are deaf resulted in a heightened awareness of ASL as a language and initiated a sensitivity to Deaf Culture through interaction among peers. In 1984, Nancy Frishberg presented the first of many workshops that focused on ASL in the education of deaf people. The interest in ASL and the presence of Deaf staff members highlighted differences in the Deaf and hearing cultures, and in 1988 a committee was established to investigate and develop a “Deaf Studies” curriculum.
Presently, the goal of the Cleary School is to graduate students who are fluent in ASL and English—adults who will respect, and feel comfortable in, both the Deaf and hearing cultures.
The following are theoretical goals in Cleary’s move toward bilingual/bicultural education, the realities that have delayed this progress, and attempts at the resolution of problems.
1.Implement a bilingual/bicultural program.
Because of Cleary’s unique location and program we were unable to implement a program which met our requirements. A committee was established to explore other programs and to develop one. Recognizing our own limitations, and wishing to respect the Deaf community, two consultants were hired to assist the committee: Laura Thomas-Roebal and Donald Galloway. Their assistance has been invaluable to us. The committee has since become responsible for many things in any way related to “deafness” including Deaf Awareness Programs, Deaf speakers for the students and staff, workshops for staff, ASL classes for staff, etc.
2.Both cultures will have appropriate representation on the staff.
The staff is already established and there are limited annual vacancies. Presently there are seven staff members who are deaf, three of whom are former Cleary students. Layoffs, based on state guidelines, are determined by seniority, and Deaf staff members are among those most recently hired. Staff members may not be discriminated against because of their hearing status. It is acknowledged that some staff members are resistant to change of any kind.
To increase interaction with Deaf adults, consultants have been hired. Members of the Deaf community address both adult students and staff in an ongoing speakers’ program. A Deaf adult teaches ASL to the students, providing both an appropriate role model and exposure to Deaf Culture. Deaf adults teach the night ASL classes available to parents and the general public. Interaction with Deaf adults promotes respect for the Deaf Community and reinforces the basic premise that “DEAF CAN!”
3.Students and staff members will be fluent in ASL and English.
Some staff members were hired when the school was an oral program. Others trained in programs that did not recognize and/or include ASL. There are those who believe they are fluent in ASL after one or two classes and still others who think that ASL is merely signing without voice. Some think that if the students are signing and a staff member does not understand them, it must be ASL, because all people who are deaf sign ASL, even to the extent that those Deaf adults educated in an oral program are fluent in ASL because they are deaf.
In an effort to educate the staff, classes are held on both campuses using the Vista Curriculum. Teachers attended a training session with Ken Mikos at Gallaudet, in addition to which, two on-campus training sessions were held so that the curriculum would be properly implemented. Staff members are encouraged to attend off-campus workshops, conferences, and courses.
Some students’ signs are conceptually incorrect. ASL classes for staff include an emphasis on conceptual signing in an effort to provide appropriate language models. Teachers have videotaped students’ stories providing students the opportunity to “see themselves” and correct their own mistakes. In addition, ASL classes, taught by a Deaf adult, are part of Cleary’s program.
4.Staff members will respect both the Deaf and hearing cultures.
The terms “Deaf” and “hearing” culture are too limiting. Most of us are members of several different “cultural” groups at the same time, the impact of which depends on individual differences and situations.
A committee was established to investigate “Deaf Studies” and to develop a curriculum appropriate for Cleary School. Deaf Awareness Days present differing aspects of Deaf culture, and workshops presented by Deaf adults sensitize as well as educate both staff and students. Respect increases as we learn more about each other.
5.Cleary School should be the center for the Deaf community whose members function as role models for students.
In Suffolk County, the Deaf community is scattered throughout a large geographic area, and public transportation is limited. The building itself is small and utilized almost daily for community activities. Most adults are employed during the school day and are unavailable to interact with students. Alumni view Cleary as their elementary school, having attended high school in a mainstream program.
The Deaf Speakers’ program has promoted members of the local community as role models and authority figures. Presentations in ASL have had no voice interpreting. Reunions for alumni have been encouraged. Students are involved in the Metropolitan Schools for the Deaf Annual Field Day, allowing them to see the vast numbers of Deaf students from the larger community. They are encouraged to have pen pals and “video” pals. Parent classes are conducted during the school day to meet immediate vocabulary needs, and parents are strongly encouraged to attend ASL evening classes to develop language skills. During the summer session there are sign classes for siblings and other relatives/friends. Regular interaction with Deaf adults allays parental fears and demonstrates that their child can be successful.
In an effort to further the acceptance of ASL staff-wide, the staff attended an “Adventures in Attitude” seminar to explore attitudes and fears. Open discussions on the lack of access to communication has brought the need for improvement to the surface. Authorities (MJ Bienvenu, Dr. Scott Liddell, and Dr. Robert Johnson) have made presentations on the benefits of ASL in the education of Deaf people.
A tool to assess the students’ bilingual progress is currently being developed in an effort to document and measure the growth of ASL and English, enhancing competency in both.
About the Presenters
Mary DiGiovanna graduated from Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf, 1976. She earned her B.A. in psychology from Gallaudet University in 1980 and her M.A. in education of the hearing impaired, Lower Elementary Level also from Gallaudet University, 1982. She served as a certified Parent-Infant Specialist: Hearing Impaired: Infant Hearing Resource in Portland, Ore., 1987. She has been a preschool teacher at Cleary School for the Deaf since 1982 and is a member of the Deaf Studies Curriculum Committee.
Penelope Tierney received her M.A. in liberal studies from the State University of New York, Stony Brook, 1971. She has 17 years’ teaching experience, 12 at the Cleary School for the Deaf where she has been teaching since 1979. She is a member of the Deaf Studies Curriculum Committee and sign language coordinator for the school.