By BitcoDavid In the 1990s, a wave of fear tore through the fabric of American culture. We were terrified by the idea of non-prosecutable children committing murder and other violent crimes. We were constantly being told that gangs – most of which were Latin in origin – were recruiting minors, and the Media was rife
By Jean F. Andrews Jim Cummins the bilingual scholar and writer makes a distinction between Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). The reality for most deaf children (except those from deaf parents) is that they are learning BICS in sign and English. At the same time they are learning CALP
By Joanne Greenberg A lifetime of working with the Deaf has given me a wealth of great memories and stories to share. Here are 2 quick ones that come to mind. I was in the nursing home, watching deafened elders scratching spidery words on paper. Many of the words were unreadable. A group was sitting,
By BitcoDavid Picture this. You’re on your way somewhere, when a police cruiser comes speeding up from behind you, and lunges up onto the sidewalk, cutting you off. Just as you stop in your tracks, another cruiser does the same maneuver, behind you. A third, boxes you in by stopping curbside, on your left. In
By BitcoDavid Here’s the story. A train had pulled into the station in a Brooklyn, N.Y. subway in late January, and the usual throng of waiting passengers pushed and jostled to get on board. A 55-year-old man, was one such passenger, as were two teenage girls. Apparently, one or both of the girls pushed past
By Jean F. Andrews Is there a connection between early child abuse and adult criminal behavior among deaf and hard of hearing persons? While exact statistics on this question are hard to find, from 10 cases of deaf youths in juvenile facilities around the country, it was found that 6 out of the 10 were
When Will They Ever Learn…
By Jean F. Andrews In their popular 1960’s folk song, Peter, Paul and Mary sing the ballad, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone.” In the ballad, is the echoing refrain, “When Will They Ever Learn,” that points a firm finger at a society engaged in the Viet Nam War, wondering sadly, Where have all the
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