All My Children Deaf Storyline
Monday August 13, 2007
Just before going to bed, saw this item: Deaf Actors and Actresses Cast on All My Children (Movieweb.com, August 13, 2007). The storyline focuses on a deafened toddler whose parents explore cochlear implants. In fact, according to this news item, cochlear implants will be heavily featured in the storyline, as implanted actors are featured along with support groups for parents. At the time I saw this, there was already one comment from someone asking about sign language for implanted children.
Update 08/14: LaRonda has more details on her blog post. She actually saw the program.
Comments
We present ourselves that we are strong advocates for using American Sign Language for deaf babies and toddlers WITH cochlear implants along with their AVT sessions.
I strongly believe in ADDING sign language in this process.
The majority of people who are involved in ‘rehabilitation’ for ‘deafness’ are dead-set for not including ASL as a part of the intervention, which is bothersome to me, and to the Deaf community.
On my blog, one commenter wrote which really touched my heart big time…
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Lisa, the commenter said:
My daughter has a profound loss in both ears, she was identified at 2 months. We began learning sign at 3 months.
She received CI at 15 months. Her doctor told me, “ABSOLUTELY NO SIGNING”.
They even went so far to tell me “I could sign, but I would have to go some where else for the surgery.”
Unbelievable!
I’m not proud that I was not completely honest, but I know it is my choice as a mother to decide what is best for my child.
Kennedy is 2 now and I know we made the right decision. Her speech is beautiful as well as her signing.
Her speech therapist say “she is a poster child for CI” -just not at her doctor’s office.
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There is no harm of ADDING sign language in this intervention process! Adding American Sign Language is a natural way to present the visual language to a Deaf child with CI, without any barriers, and it will complement to the AVT process!