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>> It's time to focus on today's educational issues.
Issues that affect you, your kids, community and your tax dollars.
Topics like violence, legislation, special needs, the gifted, curriculum,
technology, the parents' role, building self-esteem and minorities' needs.
How do we deal with substance abuse?
AIDS?
Sports?
And very importantly, funding?
>> Welcome to School Talk.
I'm Nadjia Varney your host.
You may well recognize the name of Helen Keller or more recently Rush Limbaugh?
When you think of deafness and hearing loss.
But what are the causes and how are children
who have deafness or hearing loss educated?
Well, today we will talk about these questions
and others with Commissioner Heidi Reed.
She was appointed to the Massachusetts Commission
for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing.
Prior to that she was the Executive Director for DEAF,
which is an organization that helps people with hearing loss
or in any way hearing impaired to live independent lives.
So it a personal joy and honor to welcome Commissioner Heidi Reed.
Welcome, Commissioner Reed.
Thank you for joining me.
>> Thank you very much.
>> I wonder if you would mind before we start talking about the issues,
would you mind telling me how did you get interested in helping people
who are deaf and with hearing loss?
>> Through an evolving process of discovery.
We think that I myself am deaf since the age of one and a half,
probably from antibiotics.
And throughout the process of my growing up, going to school, going to college,
beginning to work, it was very important to always be able to
access information and resources.
To find what supports were there,
both to find out how I could connect with the people around me.
And it was very important that the people around me,
my parents, my teachers, my coworkers, my family,
it was very important that these people be aware of the resources and supports
so that they could connect with me.
As I became an adult I began to realize
how important it is for people to be able to meet each other halfway.
And the information that you need to be able to meet people halfway
if you are deaf and hard of hearing can make a significant impact on your life
and your ability to connect with people.
I found that I have gone through the experience
of being the only deaf child in the classroom.
I've gone through the experience of being in an academic program
that was filled with deaf peers.
And I've seen the rich experience that each had to offer.
In my search for finding out as much as I could
about the resources and support,
I became very, very impressed with what you have
in the field of working with people who are deaf and hard of hearing.
You have an enormous amount of resources available.
You have options available.
You have training available.
And I think that for me, one of the draws into this profession
was during the process of discovery I found out just how many people
have a great deal of valuable information that is needed by others.
And there are people who have the ability to come up with creative solutions.
The field itself is very much driven by people
who are themselves deaf and hard of hearing.
>> Well, thank you.
It's amazing how our life's experiences do influence
what we become and what we do.
And I like the fact that you talked about resources
because at this very moment you are becoming a resource to our viewers.
I did read somewhere that approximately 10 percent of the Massachusetts
population is either deaf or hard of hearing.
And my question is, how widespread is deafness and hearing loss
in the United States?
Especially among children?
And I'm wondering if there's been any major change or major changes
in the last 10 or 20 years.
We hear about environmental causes and so forth.
And so I wonder how widespread is it and what are the,
are there major changes in the causes and the demographics of,
you know, children with hearing loss and deafness?
>> In terms of statistics throughout the United States,
the population of deaf school children
between the ages of 3 and 17 is approximately 52,000.
Now in terms of that population, we are talking about children
who might be able to detect and understand sound if someone were to
shout into their better ear.
They're a smaller demographical group
but the numbers are so small we don't a valid estimate
on how many people are in those categories, how many children are there.
In terms of the statistics that we see over the years,
in the past 20 years in particular, in 1980's
we experienced the impact of the maternal rubella epidemic.
And in that period of time a national survey that was conducted
revealed that there were 9,000 children around the country
who were deaf as a result of maternal rubella.
In the next decade, in the 90's, that number dropped to fewer than a thousand.
So that was a significant change that impacted the field
over that period of time.
Today one of the significant changes we see
is hearing loss occurring among young adults, in teenagers,
that there is thought that noise exposure, people using iPods, cell phones,
they are going to clubs and gathering where the music is very loud.
This is definitely causing hearing loss.
>> One of the reasons I asked that question is my sons had a band
and the bass player stood right in front of the speakers.
And I, he talks so loudly now as a young adult,
well, he's an adult now with children.
But I say stop shouting.
And he says I'm not.
And I really believe he may have a hearing loss,
because he stood for years in front of that speaker in our basement.
So some of us should have been educated about it,
but at least now we're telling the world, from you and this program and others,
that that does, that is, you know, a danger.
In dealing with people who are deaf and hard of hearing,
I've heard of several approaches and philosophies.
There may be even conflicts between them.
I've heard of using oral, like they can hear something
and recently we hear about cochlear implants.
Most of us don't really know much about these things, so I'd ask you,
what are the major approaches and philosophies
to dealing with deaf and hearing loss, deafness and hearing loss?
And is one approach used more often than the other?
>> It is very true that we have the range of options today
and each one has been successful in its own way.
It's important that parents and family members be aware of these options
and be able to obtain unbiased information about each option
so it can best be met to their child's needs.
When you think about the range of educational options
and communication options,
you can imagine a continuum of communication options.
You have approaches that involve the visual, fully visual approach.
These can be seen as, for example, American Sign Language,
a fully visual approach.
You can also have an approach that is mostly visual.
You can have an approach that balances the visual and the auditory.
You can have an approach that's mostly auditory
and then you can have a fully auditory approach.
In the auditory approach, you would be talking about using hearing aids,
using auditory training, speech reading, speech therapy.
These are a range of options.
And again it's important to know that each one
has been effective in its own way.
The answer depends on the individual child.
The method must be met to the child,
the child's situation and the child's needs.
>> Well, that's interesting and good to hear
because I had been reading a little bit in preparation for talking with you,
and I wasn't quite sure whether, you know,
now I understand that all of these things can be used according to need.
And that's very clear now.
I don't know that our audience would have known that there are so many options.
So I'm glad that you mentioned that.
One question that does come up with mothers with small children,
and you mentioned how perhaps your deafness
came from the overuse of antibiotics
when you were as young as 1 or 2, and so is this ever hereditary?
Is deafness or impaired hearing hereditary?
Can the child be born with this problem?
>> Yes, yes.
In general, in the general population 90 percent of the children
have parents who can hear.
However, 10 percent have parents who are themselves deaf.
So it's estimated that 10 percent of the population of children
have a deafness that's hereditary, that runs in their family.
>> Well, you mentioned several causes
as I mentioned about my son with the loud music,
and I wonder if we could break it down now
and talk just briefly about the major causes starting with the young child,
as we mentioned from birth to the early years
and then maybe the elementary and high school.
So first of all, for birth through the early childhood.
What are the major causes for hearing loss or deafness?
>> Well, from what we know when you look at statistics from birth through
early childhood, the major cause of a child or baby being deaf is unknown.
Unknown.
And after that you have situations, you have unknown,
you have hereditary and childbirth related complications.
So those would be the 3 causes in infants.
When you have older children, you have meningitis
and then you have infections and you have unknown reason.
Later on when you get up to children losing their hearing
and when they are teens and young adults,
again it's from exposure to noise, largely noise exposure.
But it can be also a result of injury to the head or injury to the ear.
>> Do you think that we're talking enough about
both things that you've just mentioned?
I think of sports injuries and music injuries.
Do you hear much or do we know much about
the danger of these things in our society?
>> People are not aware, people are completely unaware of the impact of noise
and it's very important that these people become aware
and that they take precaution to prevent loss of hearing from noise.
If you have exposure to noise when you are a teenager and you are a young adult
and you imagine the exposure for years beyond that,
you are at significant risk.
>> Well, thank you for, you know,
signaling this and I hope that our viewers will take this seriously.
But right now we're going to take a break,
but when we come back we'll talk about what parents can do,
what happens in the classroom and some other important issues.
Stay with us, we'll be right back.
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>> Kevin Costner.
>> Mr. Wall.
>> These are teachers.
But to the kids they've reached, they're heroes.
>> My hero?
Mrs. Wooten.
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Maybe no one else will.
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Be a teacher.
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Great explorers.
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>> There are tons of ways to help with your kids' learning.
Find the really good ones on connectforkids.org.
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Pacific Ocean! Yea!
>> Commissioner Reed, how can parents recognize
the signs of possibly hearing loss or deafness?
>> I think that the most significant way is to be very attentive to your child
and how your child is responding to you and to others.
A child who does not respond to sound that other children respond to
may very well have a hearing loss.
Some of the signs to look for are specifically not responding to noises,
not developing speech, spoken language as the peers are.
Those are significant.
Another sign might be an inconsistent response to the sounds around you.
It's important to know today, though, that it's possible with technology
to be able to screen the hearing of newborn infants.
>> Oh.
>> And this is a tremendous improvement in technology and support for families.
When your newborn baby can be screened you can detect hearing loss immediately
or the potential for it
and send the child to be given a thorough assessment of their hearing.
This then can connect the parent with the necessary support, training
and resources so you can avoid delay in development of language.
This can have an enormous impact on children and on the baby's development.
No question that we are very well, very well benefited
by having the ability to screen children in infancy for hearing loss.
>> And I think even in school they have screening.
Of course they're just gross screenings, but yes, we've come a long way
and the technology, I can imagine, has made a big difference.
And there have been differences in the schools now, too,
in terms of inclusion where children with any special needs.
Years ago they were isolated and most of their education
was done separately and out of the regular classroom.
And now everyone hears the word inclusion.
So I'm wondering how do we include children who are deaf or with
hearing impairments and what kinds of accommodations are schools making?
>> Well, most children today who are deaf or hard of hearing
are mainstreamed into the general population in the school system.
And here is where knowledge of resources and support is very important.
There are a range of options.
The key is to meet the child's needs.
The options can range from sign language interpreters
to having communication act as real time translation
whereby the captioning is available in the classroom
for every kind of dialogue that's taking place.
You have other options in terms of listening systems,
assisted listening devices, FM systems.
There are strategies such as note taking.
There are strategies related to having seating arranged in a specific way.
And there are also strategies in terms of
managing the acoustics of the classroom.
It's very important that the child have access to a range of support
who understand what it is to be deaf or hard of hearing.
These can be professionals who will be available in the school system.
The amount of knowledge that the teacher.
And the team working with that child bring to the classroom is very important.
>> It's amazing to me because almost everything in education
goes back to the people who are never heralded
and that is that teacher with that child or with the children.
How much accommodation and how well it's done
does depend on that classroom teacher.
Even if it's standing in front of the child so the child can see your lips
if they lip read, you know, all kinds of things.
So I'm glad that that's pointed out again,
how important it is for training and education of our teachers.
Of course, teachers like, oh!
before I go to the parents, which will be next.
I'm thinking as you speak about children who come from other cultures and have,
do not have English as a second language.
What do we do with, as a child who's deaf,
who speaks Spanish or Portuguese or Khmer?
Do we have anything happening to help them?
>> More and more the children that we have in our school systems
do come from a diverse family background
and it is important that parents and family members learn as much as they can
about supports that are available to their child.
I think that what a family can do that's most helpful is be able to get
the information that is available about these resources and support.
It's important that parents meet other children,
a range of children and adults who are deaf and hard of hearing.
They need to understand that there is as much diversity within the population
of people who are deaf and hard of hearing as within the general population.
In some school systems we have professionals who are reaching out
with a bilingual multicultural approach to families and parents.
This is very important.
It's important that the child's communication be met and that the language
that the child needs to develop and learn in the classroom
be supported in a wide range of ways.
Some children are using a number of different languages.
We have a trend in the community toward bilingual, bicultural education
whereby you will have with some schools using
an American sign language base training program.
They also balance that with a cultural
and linguistic approach that balances American Sign Language,
the culture being deaf
and the language and culture of English speaking community.
That brings a wide variety of perspective to the child
and it's also a very valuable way of developing diverse skills.
>> And whatever the child's background is, we need the parents.
So I'm going to ask you for a few suggestions here, how can parents help?
>> Parents need to be able to connect with the school
and work closely with the teachers and the school.
Parents to involve themselves in learning as much as they can about
what it means to be deaf or hard of hearing.
How to familiarize themselves with assistive technology
that will be helpful to their child and include that in their home.
Parents should also make a point of becoming familiar with the range of
activities that are available for people to interact with others
who are deaf and hard of hearing and learn from their experiences.
There are very specific strategies you can use at home.
You can incorporate communication access
related to assisted technology in your home.
You can incorporate communication access procedures in your home.
There are very specific ways you can support your child
in preparing for family gatherings, provide your child with a list of names,
explain how the people there are connected to the gathering.
All of this information is very helpful.
Adults who are deaf and hard of hearing
benefit tremendously from having a written agenda.
And materials in advance of business meetings.
Consider your child's needs.
What your child will need as materials and support
that will help them prepare for the business of the family social.
And I think that there are very specific steps parents can take.
There are strategies related to having a round table in your home where
you have easy visibility, the easy way to see the faces of the people there.
There are strategies for positioning yourself with enough light on your face
and making sure that you have visual ability to communicate.
All of this will make a very big difference in supporting the child
and ensuring that the child is better able to
communicate with the family and vice-versa.
The family is able to communicate with the child.
>> Well, those tips are very, very helpful.
Thank you.
I'm going to ask you to give some of the rest of us in the world
who are hearing people some tips [clears throat], pardon me.
Because I know sometimes when you're talking to a blind person,
people will start shouting or talking slowly.
And it has nothing to do.
The person will say I can you fine, I just cannot see you.
And I'm sure there's a reverse to this.
When a person can see you, but cannot hear what you're saying.
What are some of the tips you could give hearing people
when they're dealing with children or adults who are hearing impaired?
>> First and foremost, make sure that the child or the adult
you are talking to knows you are preparing to talk to them.
Make sure they can see you, that they are facing you
and they are aware that you are talking.
Again, the point about lighting is important.
You don't want to be standing in front of a window or standing so that
the light is shining into the face of the person who needs to see you.
That obviously puts you in the dark and makes it very difficult for someone
to see your face or expressions and follow what you are saying.
The lighting is very important.
I would say that you should always ask the individual what works best for them.
The more that a child is aware of the procedures that work for him or her,
the better he or she will be able to tell you what works, how to communicate.
The same with adults, many people will use
a specific form of communication, access technology.
Someone might use a hearing aid, someone might use speech reading,
someone might use sign language, someone might be able to write.
Ask what's the most effective strategy.
>> I really appreciate that because I believe that's true
in communicating with anybody, especially children.
And when we help children know how they learn best,
what their learning style is,
what their strengths are, they can help us in teaching them.
So again, I think that it's such a wise thing
that you've said in terms of all learning.
And we must remember that these same,
these important factors apply to everyone.
As we're drawing to the end here, I need to ask you
how are we doing in Massachusetts, across the country,
in terms of providing adequate help
and you've mentioned options but are we really providing
enough public services for our children and adults?
>> We can do better, definitely.
We have made giant strides in the past 25 years or so,
but we can definitely do better.
We are much more aware of the importance of training, appropriate skills
and training teachers and support staff in the classroom.
We are very aware of this and we need to ensure that we have training programs
in place that are producing the staff that's needed in the classroom.
We also are aware of the range of options available in terms of
sign language interpreters and in terms of captioning providers.
We need to ensure that we have training programs available
so that we are developing these resources
and have them available for people who need them in the school system.
We also need to be making better use of assistive technology.
There's a wide range of assistive technology.
There are listening devices available that need to be made available
and if necessary to know,
to have the know-how to use and involve these assistive devices.
Much of this requires fiscal support and planning.
Much of this requires being aware of the resources
and building them into the school systems.
>> Thank you so much and I hate to stop us here, but it sounds,
I was going to ask you if you have an optimistic or a pessimistic view
and I see that you are indeed an optimist.
Because I know funding sometimes is cut and yet you see all the options
and you're working very hard through our Commission.
So I thank you and with your permission at the end, we will put up your website
so people can go to the Commission and find more information.
Thank you so much for coming.
>> Thank you very much.
>> You're welcome.
And I'd like to close now by making several quotes from Helen Keller.
You know she was blind and deaf, but she graduated college,
she was a prolific writer and a well sought after lecturer.
A speaker who inspired everybody.
And she wrote "Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it,
we can do nothing, we can never do anything good in the world."
She also said, and I love this one,
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."
Inspirational, wise, available to all of us,
it's wise, inspirational School Talk.
>> Join the discussion.
Send your comments to School Talk at bridgew.edu.
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