THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 17, 1994 TAG: 9410170064
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 169 lines
In some quarters of the deaf community, Heather Whitestone is undeniably a ``little d.''
The term is used within the community to describe deaf people who aren't fully immersed in deaf culture or who place more value on learning to speak than on gaining an appreciation for sign language and the world of silence.
It's not a compliment.
Whitestone, who in September became the first deaf Miss America, lost her hearing as an 18-month-old infant. Her mother has said she consciously chose not to raise White-stone to rely on American Sign Language, often considered the touchstone of deaf culture.
Such a path is frowned upon by ``big D's'' - those who embrace deaf culture and stress that the deaf should never downplay sign language or its visual pageantry to be considered successful people.
In between are all the other ``d's'': Those who say the best way to help the deaf, and particularly deaf children, reach their potential is to help them maintain a foothold in both the hearing and deaf worlds.
That group says educators should take a total approach, helping deaf students learn skills that will allow them to communicate within the mainstream as well as express themselves freely within the deaf community.
The tricky part, they say, is for the deaf to do so without selling out deaf culture, which has its own role models, traditions and rich history.
``I see the pros and cons and all the various viewpoints,'' said Tom Willard, editor of Silent News, a national newspaper for the deaf. ``The most important thing to remember is every deaf person is unique and there's no one answer.''
Willard, 37, lost all his hearing by age 20.
Eight-year-old Kristie Drudge was born deaf to hearing parents. Her mother, the president of the Tidewater Association for Hearing Impaired Children, said she and her husband are raising Kristie to appreciate deaf culture while also exposing her to things that make it easier for her to deal with the rest of society.
She has an inner-ear implant, known as a cochlear implant, which offers some deaf people limited hearing. She attends Corporate Landing Elementary in Virginia Beach, a regular public school that has a program for deaf or hearing-impaired children.
And once a week, Kristie takes classes at the school district's gifted center, where she is the only deaf student now enrolled. Kristie has some speaking ability. She still relies on an interpreter in class, however, and she often uses sign language when talking with her mother.
Jean Drudge rejects the notion that she's trying to turn Kristie into something she's not.
Her youngest son, Andrew, was also born deaf after she experienced an unusual bout of daily vomiting for months at a time during pregnancy - as she had with Kristie.
``I think everybody ought to realize that there aren't just two sides,'' Drudge said. ``There's a whole range of options in the middle.''
The education of deaf children, at least 90 percent of whom are born to hearing parents, has been a serious concern in recent decades.
Studies show that the average deaf child in a special education program graduates with slightly less than a fifth-grade reading level. Especially hurt are poor kids whose parents can't afford additional tutoring, testing and special assistance - although public funds help finance much of deaf education.
What's more, teachers of the deaf, particularly those who are themselves deaf, have sounded the alarm as school districts have looked to less skilled - and less costly - interpreters to assist deaf students in class.
In some circumstances, the state also grants waivers to interpreters who have yet to fulfill requirements. Many have likened the situation to a lecture in which every third word is omitted.
``The biggest problems right now are with low-level interpreters in the (public) schools,'' said Melanie A. Skripnek, an instructional coordinator at the Hampton campus of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind. Skripnek lost her hearing when she was about 12.
``Some of the schools say they hire level-one or level-two instructors because they can save a little money. The kids are the ones who suffer.''
Interpreters with level-three or level-four ratings are considered highly skilled.
The National Association of State Directors of Special Education will soon release guidelines on teaching deaf or hearing-impaired students. The report will address the qualifications issue and also include recommendations on placement options.
Last spring, the General Assembly approved a measure calling for the state to investigate the future needs of those students.
Roughly 61,000 deaf or hearing-impaired youths are enrolled in schools across the country, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Slightly more than 1,000 of them are in Virginia. Nationally, 29 percent of the students attend special schools for the deaf. The rest - many of whom are hard of hearing, not completely deaf - attend regular schools.
Gallaudet University education professor Joseph Innes, deaf since age 9, said deaf children must first learn to love who they are. That lesson, he said, is often missing in regular schools.
``It's very, very important that early on, the deaf child is recognized as having this unique human experience that is substantially different from what a hearing person has; and then given all that there is to relish within that experience,'' he said.
``Then, when it's appropriate to pass through the door, if you will, they can do it with gusto - confident in their ability and knowledge; and knowledgeable about the issues pertaining to the difference.''
At least 244 deaf or hearing-impaired students are enrolled in school districts across South Hampton Roads.
Local districts occasionally refer students to the Hampton school. But their own offerings range from the placement of interpreters in regular classes to situations in which teachers work with students in segregated settings.
The programs vary in quality and variety. Many area public schools also provide speech therapists for deaf students who have scant residual hearing and are able to speak.
Some say programs in traditional schools are an important part of teaching deaf children to make smooth transitions between the hearing world and the nonhearing world once they become adults.
Christine Snyder is a 25-year-old data entry operator who's pursuing a degree at Tidewater Community College.
Snyder, a graduate of Bayside High in Virginia Beach, was born deaf. She said attending a regular school taught her how to ``get along with hearing people.'' The arrangement, she said, ``wasn't easy'' - an interpreter was assigned to her classes. Hearing friends took notes for her.
But she said she had no regrets.
Others, however, say the best path for deaf students is one lined with special residential or day schools for the deaf. The schools are considered key incubators of deaf pride. Many residential school teachers are themselves deaf.
These schools are places where American Sign Language - not English - is revered as a deaf person's native language. They are places where things that smack of the hearing world are supplementary - such as lip reading, speech articulation and other modes used to help the deaf communicate with the hearing.
``Often parents spend so much time going to the medical community looking for this magic or this cure or something to make this child hear,'' said Jay Shopshire, a 50-year-old math teacher at the Hampton school. ``They waste so many years and the child loses so much.''
Robert Osso, an 18-year-old senior, said the Hampton school has boosted his self-confidence and awareness level by emphasizing silent life and language. He has always attended schools for the deaf, but he can also lip read and speak.
``I am proud to be deaf,'' said Osso, a leader within the junior wing of the National Association of the Deaf.
Robert's mother came down with rubella during pregnancy. The disease can cause deafness in a fetus. ``If I have a son or daughter one day and if they are deaf, I will put them in a deaf school because it's easier to communicate with people at a deaf school,'' he said. ``There are more activities and ASL is the best language for me to understand.''
Ears aren't important at his school, he said. It's what's between them that matters.
Richard Osso, Robert's father, said parents and educators should capitalize on anything and everything that can bolster deaf children.
``I think every parent has to analyze the situation and make a sound judgment based on the individual needs of their children,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: Educating the hearing impaired
[Color Photos]
JOSEPH JOHN KOTLOWSKI/Staff
Youngsters who are in a choir for hearing-impaired students use sign
language at Corporate Landing Elementary School in Virginia Beach.
The school, part of the public city system at the Beach, has a
program for hearing-impaired children.
Heather Whitestone, Miss America 1995, lost her hearing at 18 months
but her mother chose not to raise her to rely on sign language.
JOSEPH JOHN KOTLOWSKI/Staff
Kristie Drudge, born deaf, uses sign language, but her mother says
Kristie is being raised to appreciate deaf culture while also being
exposed to things that will help her deal with the rest of
society.
KEYWORDS: DEAF HEARING IMPAIRED by CNB