Gallaudet’s Buff and Blue Newspaper SLAMS AG Bell!

All,

As a very proud Gallaudet Alumnae, it is my greatest pleasure to present this.

Sean Maiwald, Opinion Editor for The Buff and Blue and Gallaudet University’s class of 2016. He left a tweet at 8:58 pm, and someone alerted me. I read the link. My jaw dropped.

Your jaws will drop too.

Ready? Here’s the ASL Version of this letter!

Text information below:

Screen Shot 2016-04-03 at 11.16.36 PM


AGBell President Sugar, you’re not so sweet

Editorials, News, Opinion | April 3, 2016 by Sean Maiwald | 0 Comments

Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
3417 Volta Place Northwest
Washington, District of Columbia 20007

Dear President Meredith K. Sugar, Esq,

This open letter discusses the recent statement you wrote, titled ‘Dispelling Myths About Deafness,’ found on your website (AG Bell, 2016). We aim to correct the points made and to ensure that this kind of conflict does not happen again.

Your statements are not based on sound scientific principles. There is no citation for data whatsoever within your response with the exception of the statistic that 95 percent of deaf babies are born to hearing parents and that 90 percent of these parents choose listening and spoken language. We have issues with the framing of this perspective – how many of these parents would have chosen a bilingual approach if they were provided adequate resources and information from unbiased professionals as well as deaf people themselves? We will follow specific points in your response with scientific evidence as well as quotations from the A.G. Bell Association position statements.

You said, “Recent studies show that children who solely utilize listening and spoken language, rather than a combination of this with ASL, demonstrate better listening and spoken language skills than do children who follow a combination approach, and that these children frequently develop expressive and receptive language test scores similar to their typical hearing peers,” (AG Bell, 2016).

First, what and where are the studies you refer to? By not citing or explaining the various sources that you use, you do not contribute to rational, scientific discourse or discussion. We ask that you share your sources and information, especially research approaches taken such as controls for income and comparisons between bilinguals and monolinguals, instead of focusing solely on monolinguals. Doing so will encourage discourse that leads to ethical and inclusive dialogues.

There are studies available to everyone with accurate, unbiased research using sound scientific principles. First, an article from Dr. Lund of Texas Christian University presents evidence that a majority of deaf children with cochlear implants do not demonstrate “listening and spoken language” on par with their hearing peers (Lund, 2015). In this article, research “indicated that children with cochlear implants demonstrate lower vocabulary knowledge than children with normal hearing,” (Lund, 2015).

Second, an article from the Cambridge University Press “confirms that second-generation deaf children exceed deaf children of hearing parents in terms of cochlear implantation performance. Encouraging deaf children to communicate in sign language from a very early age, before cochlear implantation, appears to improve their ability to learn spoken language after cochlear implantation,” (Hassanzadeh, 2012). In other words, signed language only reinforces your latent goal of listening and spoken language.

This contradicts your statement that “the window for a deaf child to acquire listening and spoken language is much shorter than the window in which ASL can be acquired,” which is not only misleading but also dangerous. This rhetoric has no basis in fact and does more harm than you could ever imagine by depriving children an avenue of potential success.

A variety of studies done, including the study by Mayberry et al in 2011, show the critical acquisition windows for ASL or English or any other language are the same regardless of modality (Mayberry et al, 2011). As this study puts it, the brain does not differentiate between spoken or signed language- the acquisition period is the same.

With evidence to the contrary, it is baffling why you would go against your own organization’s position statements on American Sign Language below, copied directly from your website. “With respect to American Sign Language (ASL), AG Bell acknowledges ASL as a language in and of itself. AG Bell also recognizes ASL’s importance in Deaf culture as a unique feature, and a language that many take pride in learning. AG Bell does not believe that ASL should be prohibited or restricted as a choice, nor does AG Bell advocate against learning ASL as part of a child’s overall development…” (AG Bell, 2016).

Furthermore, your organization also states, “The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) fully supports the recommendation by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing, published in 2007 by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which states “families should be made aware of all communication options and available hearing technologies in an unbiased manner,” (AG Bell, 2016). If your organization is committed to this recommendation, you would ensure equal respect of all communication opportunities. However, your emphasis on listening and spoken language implies that this method is somehow inherently better than other opportunities, including sign language. This underscores the fact that we need an open dialogue for appropriate framing and language with the goal of equity for all people who identify as deaf or hard of hearing.

Language in the second paragraph, where you state that AG Bell “recognizes that ASL exists as a communication option for deaf children,” implies that there are options for families where they must pick and choose a single option for their deaf child. The phrase used instead should be opportunity, because there can and should be more than one modality or approach taken towards the betterment of deaf children. Put simply, positive language usage leads to positive outcomes for the families and children involved in this process.

There are a series of studies done by Dr. Petitto of the Visual Language and Visual Learning Laboratory sponsored by the National Science Foundation that provide strong evidence for advantages of bilingualism. For example, a study that compares monolinguals and bilinguals titled “Development of Neural Systems for Reading in the Monolingual and Bilingual Brain” has found evidence that “Bilingual readers showed a greater extent and variability of neural activation in bilateral classic language (LIFG, STG, IPL) and higher cognitive (DLPFC, RLPFC) brain areas, suggesting that bilingualism may lead to enhanced linguistic and cognitive processing,” (Jasinska, Petitto, 2014). In other words, bilingualism activates the brain more than one language can, leading to better language understanding and greater functional processing in the brain.

Another example of the impact of bilingualism comes from an article titled “How Age of Bilingual Exposure can Change the Neural Systems for Language in the Developing Brain,” where syntax processing is compared between monolinguals and bilinguals. In the study, “The bilingual language user may provide a powerful new window into the human language processing potential that is not fully recruited (engaged) in monolinguals. The findings from the bilingual brain lead us to a tantalizing view of the fullest biological extent of the neural tissue underlying language, which may be exploited in the bilingual and possibly lost in the monolingual,” (Jasinska, Petitto, 2013). In layman’s terms, this means bilingualism allows the brain to be used to its fullest potential.

With all of this in context, why does your organization continue to share misinformation and disregard the potential for bilingualism to enhance your efforts in listening and spoken language? There are two recent articles published in the New York Times that demonstrates that bilinguals have superior social skills as well as improved executive function (Kinzler, 2016); (Bhattacharjee, 2012). It would be prudent to reverse your current course of action and expand opportunities.

The answer to various communication opportunities always should be “yes” simply because it is not about who is right or about who has community support. It’s about bringing people together and providing the most resources possible to set the stage for success later on in life for all deaf children. Another question to consider is ‘how can we make sure that the parents have their needs in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion met?’ Ultimately, this means providing all of the opportunities for children as well as working together to create a stronger and more inclusive community instead of posting responses to articles that you may not agree with. To that end of inclusiveness, we point to the students of Gallaudet University- in the summer of 2015, fifty new signers joined the student body. These fifty students are still here today, because they are an important part of an inclusive, diverse and equitable student body.

An important point to consider is inclusion- the student body at Gallaudet University is diverse in terms of communication modes. From the annual report of achievements, Gallaudet has students from 33 different countries, hearing students represent eight to ten percent of the student body, and roughly seven percent of the student body use cochlear implants on a regular basis (Gallaudet University, 2016). A considerable number of students use hearing aids, meaning nearly half of the student body uses listening and spoken language.

Therefore, we formally request your organization to stop its campaign of spreading misinformation and outright denial, because the groups of people that suffer the most are deaf children who deserve every possible avenue for success. We strongly recommend that you follow your organization’s own position statements on American Sign Language and work towards the goal of respecting bilingualism as the superior option to solely listening and spoken language. Lastly, we request that you engage in an open dialogue with the student body of Gallaudet University as well as the community at large. This way, you may work with us instead of against us to ensure a better, unified future for both the signing community and your community instead of further conflict where deaf children are the casualties of a war that is entirely unnecessary.

Sincerely,

Sean Maiwald
Opinion Editor for The Buff and Blue

Organizational Endorsers:

The California Association for the Deaf
Hands Land: ASL Rhymes and Rhythms
The Student Body Government of Gallaudet University
The Buff and Blue
The Kappa Gamma Fraternity
The Alpha Sigma Pi Fraternity
The Mu-Iota Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity
The Delta Epsilon Sorority
The CODAdet Organization
The Phi Kappa Zeta Sorority

Student Endorsers:

Keith Doane, Graduate Student, Gallaudet University
Levi Traxler, Undergraduate Student, Gallaudet University
Carey Ballard, Undergraduate Student, Gallaudet University
Bree Sproule, Undergraduate Student, Gallaudet University
Brianna Stroud-Williams, Undergraduate Student, Gallaudet University
Andrew Morrill, Undergraduate Student, Gallaudet University
William Warner, Undergraduate Student, Gallaudet University
Kelsy Ramey, Undergraduate Student, Gallaudet University
Guy Traxler, High School Student, Columbian High School
Michael Snyder, Undergraduate Student, Gallaudet University
Trevor Anderson, Undergraduate Student, Gallaudet University
Ernest Willman, Undergraduate Student, Gallaudet University
Hayley McLemore, Graduate Student, Gallaudet University
Jimmy Wilson IV, Undergraduate Student, Gallaudet University
Dakota Kalis, Undergraduate Student, Gallaudet University
Johanna Scherling, Undergraduate Student, Gallaudet University
Jehanne McCullough, Undergraduate Student, Gallaudet University
Margaret Kopp, Undergraduate Student, Gallaudet University
Jinny Jung, Undergraduate Student, University of Southern California
Jason Antal, Undergraduate Student, Gallaudet University
Thadeus Suggs, Undergraduate Student, Gallaudet University
Stephanie Johnston, Graduate Student, University of California, San Diego
Andre Simons, Hearing Undergraduate Student, Gallaudet University

Professional Endorsers:

Beth S. Benedict, PhD, Professor
Jackie Valadao-Cruz, Educational Associate
Adham Talaat, Professional Athlete
Kelsey Cobb, Educator of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Meghan Maiwald, Professional Athlete
Michael Stamper, Businessman
Glen W. Sutcliffe, Real Estate Agent
Kirk VanGilder, PhD, Professor
Julie Rems Smario, President, California Association for the Deaf
Mary Ann Dorantes Shock, Parent; Founder and CEO of Shock Management LLC

References

(AG Bell, 2016):
AG Bell’s Response to Washington Post Article about Nyle DiMarco

(Lund, 2015):
Vocabulary Knowledge of Children with Cochlear Implants: A Meta-Analysis

(Hassanzadeh, 2012):
Outcomes of Cochlear Implantation in Deaf Children of Deaf Parents: Comparative Study

(Mayberry et al, 2011)
Age of Acquisition Effects on the Functional Organization of Language in the Adult Brain

(AG Bell, 2016)
Position Statement: American Sign Language

(Jasinska, Petitto, 2014)
Development of neural systems for reading in the monolingual and bilingual brain: new insights from functional near infrared spectroscopy neuroimaging.

(Jasinska, Petitto, 2013)
How age of bilingual exposure can change the neural systems for language in the developing brain: A functional near infrared spectroscopy investigation of syntactic processing in monolingual and bilingual children

(Bhattacharjee, 2012)
Why Bilinguals Are Smarter

(Kinzler, 2016)
The Superior Social Skills of Bilinguals

(Gallaudet University, 2016)
Annual Reports of Achievements

Mr. Maiwald, I am duly impressed.

Dr. Roberta “Bobbi” Cordano, I think you should be very proud too.

Long live Buff and Blue!

Love,
Amy Cohen Efron

Did you like this? Share it!

19 comments on “Gallaudet’s Buff and Blue Newspaper SLAMS AG Bell!

Getting mad at AGBell for promoting oralism is like getting mad at the sun for coming up in the morning. It’s what they do.

Ohhhh marvelous to see how brace and good this student is and to see all the sources cited

Bravo Sean – well done

And yes the ag bell has to stop its unholy war against ASL

If the student body doesn’t get a response by the end of the week a visit to the Volta bureau is in order for that heart to heart that Sean suggests

Amy thanks for sharing this

We see what courage and knowledge looks like

Really I am overjoyed to see this

Peace – Patti

Note “brace” should read as “brave”

Pls excuse my big thumbs
V – Patti

Great article. Keep up the good work. A suggestion:: cc this copy to all Senators and Congress-members so they’ll all be well-informed of this.

Thank you for a well thought out letter!

Go,Gally!

Eric Scheir and Adam Novsam (90)

I was an oralist from AGBell 1944 to 1955 LakeView high school 1959 mo interpreter then I attended Gallaudet University 1959 to 1964
I was so happy to know accepted ASL comprehended 100%.
I visited AGBell encouraged them know ASL they were using
Total Communication.
Good so I assumed all was well but now
I guess things changed to less use ASL
Hope peace to use ASL more.
Parents, all walks of life need know ASL for
Emergency, business or social irises as
Equal access.

Wow..does my heart good to see that my old alma mater, Gallaudet, still produces students of this caliber. Very informative and also tactful. My only concern is that the length might preclude a careful reading of the points raised and the sources cited. Everything Mr. Maiwald says is right on..just hope AGB takes the time to read it in it’s entirety.

This is a very well researched, thought through, well supported and stated response to AG Bell’s printed campaign.

This should be read by ALL parents of Deaf children, ALL Deaf community members (both Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Hearing), as well as shared with the Hearing world at large.

My support and congratulations on a well written response.

Great letter. My honest opinion – AGBell organization has to go and close down. They DO NOT represent for the d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing children and adults. It like “hearing” only organization that make decisions for all of us, the deaf population for many reasons.

What President Meredith Sugar did was Hate Crime! There is no tolerance for that! ASL is here to stay. Like George Veditz once said in the 1913 NAD film, “The Preservation of ASL,” as long as there are deaf people, there is sign language.” There is no sense of suppressing ASL and its truth and fact of being a full and beautiful language with its own syntax that deaf people all over enjoy using! My three deaf children are very much bilingual, meaning they can read and write in English very well, thanks to ASL which NEVER hampers the development of English. In today’s view and intolerance for hate crime, Meredith Sugar should not be exempted. Allow the diversity and embrace it! ASL shall thrive in spite of technologies and witty inventions used by AGBAD as I refer to Psalm 106:39- Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.

Like Jackie Stover mentioned above, I attended the same AG Bell School. I was an excellent lip reader. However, I decided to attend Gallaudet with no formal ASL knowledge. After a few weeks, I felt so easy to communicate in ASL rather than lipreading. I ADMIT that I wish I learn ASL when I was young! Eventually, my mother learned ASL in order to communicate with me and my wife at ease. What’s more, when I was in the same meeting room with both ASL and Oral interpreters, I saw all oralists preferred to read the lips of ASL interpreters instead. ASL interpreters know how to communicate to all DEAF! Oral interpreters were hard for me to read lips! They were worse than the normal hearing people!

I am glad to see that you are taking on AG Bell in a very rational and honest way. People have to stop letting them get away with decades of lies and abuse. Please don’t stop…whatever they do. The message must be clear. Acceptance of ASL does not mean Deaf people do not support people’s choices about hearing, speaking, lipreading, whatever. This is the lie that has denied so many deaf children their birthright to be bilingual. I only suggest that this and all future communication on this topic be translated and presented on video by a native deaf translator. To only use English just reinforces the myth that ASL cannot convey sophisticated concepts. Thank you, and if you decide to march on AGBell, I’ll be there! Betty Colonomos

Hello Betty!

There are three videos at DeafVideo.TV is translation of this letter.

You gave me a good idea that I can incorporate these videos on my blog!

Thank you Betty, and it means a lot to me that you visited my blog!

Warmly,
Amy Cohen Efron

Excellent points of comments there as a former Gallaudet student and a Canadian l applaud Sean for his remarks against AG Bell for their actions ; Shame on them ….. for me being Deaf grew up orally and learn ASL in my final year of high school before entering Gallaudet n lm pleased what l ve done .
As for AG Bell all l can say hope the organization learned their lessons the hard way !

AGB is outdated lately and it needs to shut down immediately. They adopted as a hate crime. AGB needs to go and leave ASL alone. Million of millions of deaf people love signing ASL…it is a beautiful language. This is 2016 for goodness sakes. Wake up!!

What an eloquent letter!!!!!

AGB’s historical letters imply its’ practice of crab theory toward ASL users for their achievements that get BIG TIME media attention.

Go Nyle at DWTS!!!!

ASLingly yours,
Tom Krohn

The Oral Holocaust
of the Deaf Community
and Deaf Children: A Tribute to Betty G. Miller
by Lawrence J. Brick

Before September, 1880 Milan Conference,
Education of Deaf children based on common sense.
Deaf teachers, Deaf administrators, Deaf role models galore. Native language was ASL, FSL, SL, and more.
Deaf children thrived
And felt alive.
Half century before the birth of Adolph Hitler
Was born Alexander Graham Bell, his forerunner
For ethnic cleansing, genocide, and eugenics.
Thus began the spread of anti-signing speech clinics. Milan Conference Resolutions: ban ASL!
Replace it with English Spoken Language, ESL!
No more Deaf teachers, Deaf administrators, and Deaf role models galore. And the dark age of deaf education came to the fore.
Eight resolutions were passed.
For over a hundred years the minds of Deaf children were gassed.
But not their spirit, for as adults, they kept their native language and culture.
And fought to keep alive their Deaf identity for Deaf children’s future.
One hundred thirty years later,
21st International Congress on the Education of the Deaf in Vancouver, Voted to reject all of the 1880 Milan Conference resolutions.
Thanks to Deaf art, De’VIA, and many others,
Who walked in the footsteps of Betty G. Miller.

Illustration: Two Girls in Deaf Education by Betty G. Miller Image used with permission of Nancy Creighton • Purple Swirl Arts
(Unable to copy and paste the art of two girls with their arms in two holes of a wooden block.)

Beautifully written!

[…] Gallaudet’s Buff and Blue Newspaper SLAMS AG Bell! […]

Leave Comment

seventeen + twelve =