Only 4 weeks before my guide for hearing parents of #deaf and hard of hearing children drops, and I want to bottle some of Gifty's excitement sauce for this one. If you have a #deafkid or you work with or care for them, you can pre-order here: www.bloomsbury.com/us/deaf-baby...
I often see oralism either described in (rightfully) furious terms by Deaf authors, or treated with kid gloves in an effort to be "fair." But I wanted to capture the feeling I as a hearing parent of a #deafkid get when I encounter LSL in the wild—it's a hoax.
If we're talking about education, as a former SAT tutor and the parent of a #deafkid, I'll say this is a baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad take.
How my wife described yesterday's parent-teacher conference for our #deafkid:
"Our 2nd grader is reading at a 5th grade level, and he's in the 89th percentile for math. Dang, all that ASL exposure is really messing him up."
#ASL #deafed ♿
"Family Dog," a painting by Susan Dupor. A school aged girl, in a dress and barefoot, lies on the rug under a coffee table, surrounded by seated adults as if in a living room. The girl has a vacant expression with an open, panting mouth, and looks away from the adults. The adults are formally dressed as if for church or a dinner party. They look at each other or the child, but have blurred blue-gray faces as if viewed on a static-filled TV set.
Inspired by @gettheorion.bsky.social's Deaf artist's posts, I wanted to share "Family Dog" by Susan Dupor. Not a happy painting by any means, but as the parent of a #deafkid, it's never lost its hold over me.
New newsletter out next week. Thinking about Deaf dance (BAIDDF) and community, updates on the book, and a review of three incredible animal-based children's books for your #deafkid illustrated by Brendan Wenzel.
Subscribe here: buttondown.com/will_fertman
I actually have a slide in my "read to your #deafkid" presentation called Abject Crap, where I urge parents and professionals to just let kids pick their own reading, no matter how trashy or unappealing to adults. It's partly rooted in my own experience as a reader...
From my kiddo:
Link to donation-
give.envisionexperience.com/DRWwPArSkB
Let’s make it happen!
#Futureengineer #givingback #donation #YouthEducator #NYLF #fundraising #funding #community #DeafKid #Deaf #MakeADifference #Support #BskySocialDonate #Educate #Gift #GiftofEducation
New newsletter out today: how to fight the the attack on #deafed and the DOE, plus a review of my new favorite children's book for your #deafkid. buttondown.com/will_fertman
As a grandmother of a #deafkid who receives extra services in the local rural school district, I am very concerned that his access to #ASL resources and one on one help will be affected by any downgrading of the Department of Education. Please speak out for our special needs students. 🙏🏻🤟🏻🫶🏻
Image Description: A flier advertising The Lego Movie. Image: the logo "THE LEGO MOVIE" made from Lego bricks, hanging from a Lego crane with small Lego construction workers putting finishing touches on it. Text: Movie matinee with captions for deaf / hoh children & their families. This event is open to the public—all are welcome. Seating will be reserved for deaf and hoh. To RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/CAHVmovie Fundraiser for California Hands & Voices. Suggested donation: $5 per child, $10 per adult. Sunday, January 26, 12:30-2:30 New Parkway Theater, 474 24th St. Oakland. The Lego Movie, the movie will have captions. For details, contact mberbeco@cahandsandvoices.org . The term Deaf refers to children with varying hearing levels and is inclusive of Hard of Hearing, Deafblind, and Deaf + children, as well as children with hearing assistive technology.
Got a #deafkid in the Bay Area? Tomorrow's (1/26) captioned showing of the Lego Movie now has live interpretation courtesy of Oakland Unified School District—thanks OUSD!
The show's at 12:30 at the New Parkway in Oakland. Suggested $5 / kid $10 / adult. RSVP: tinyurl.com/CAHVmovie
Reupping for #TikTok refugees & general stragglers: if you're the parent of a deaf child, and you want to find your people, here we are. go.bsky.app/V6KQp4s
#deaf #deafkid ♿
When your #deafkid starts watching Disney movies but there is very little translated into ASL, you set up a MacMini as media server and download SignUp Media.
www.signupmedia.com
Image: brightly colored poster for a children's room or classroom with ASL handshapes from A-Z and pictures of corresponding animals or objects that use the handhape: A for gorilla, B for firefighter, C for giraffe, etc.
Another source for cute #deafkid gifts is Montana Family ASL's shop. If you haven't checked out their "A is for Gorilla" #asl handshape merch, you're missing out! www.montanafamilyasl.org/shop
If you want to understand how tech bros (AG Bell) and white supremacy has tried to erase Deaf people, watch "Through Deaf Eyes."
These are stories I will teach my #DeafKid.
gallaudet.edu/museum/exhib...
A smiling Black child with long braids wears a black t-shirt depicting the ASL sign for THAT, a Y-shaped hand moving sharply down at the wrist.
Holiday shopping time! If you're the parent of a #deafkid, or if you know one, @58creativity.bsky.social has adorable t-shirts, cards, posters and more. For fun, beautiful #ASL merch, they're the first stop. 58creativity.com
This. In the case of your #deafkid, you might be reading in ASL, in English, or in your home language. But however you do it, do it!
Dr. Barbara Spiecker, a Deaf biologist, signs the word CHANGE in ASL. In the background is a simple illustration of autumn leaves falling.
If you have a #deafkid interested in science, Atomic Hands needs to be on your radar. They have videos in #ASL by #Deaf scientists and researchers, dictionaries of STEM terms, indexes of working Deaf scientists and more. atomichands.com
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So the weirdest thing we had to buy when our #deafkid was born was to buy a multi-function printer!
Thank the gods, I don't have to fax these reports in.
A million times this. I can speak to my needs, and advocate for my child, but I am not a reliable reporter for my #deafkid.
If you're the parent of a young #deafkid, I can't recommend Hands Land by @lealaholcomb.bsky.social & co. enough.
It's native #ASL nursery rhymes that you can learn in a few minutes. The rhythm, rhyme and repetition will supercharge your baby's language acquisition. www.amazon.com/Hands-Land/d...
actually, i'm listening to the audio book. it is one of the benefits of putting a #deafkid to sleep.
