TTMW Issue #60
A DREAM Cecelia Winkler I had a dream the other day. I rarely remember my dreams but this one was extremely vivid. People often say dreams are unresolved issues that haunt you during the waking hours. Perhaps they are right. In my dream, I was in a baseball dugout with the team name "Michigan School for the Deaf" emblazoned on the front. I was gazing out at the other team. They were made up of the "Hearing Schools" that we continually struggle against in the fight for Deaf children. This was the championship game. "Winner takes all." I gazed out on the field, judging weather conditions, studying the competition, seeing whom I recognized. I was not too concerned; we had dedicated players, some very experienced, some young "hotshots" and most important in my mind, we had a new kid, reputed to be a powerhouse. He had great plans for the team and we welcomed him enthusiastically. He was viewed as a great asset to the team and guaranteed to lead us to victory. I heard a slight rumbling behind me as I continued my perusal of the competition. When I turned around, my team was beginning to argue about whom the better players were, who should have the right to bat, and lead the team onto the field. I told them all to hush. We are all on the same team. We need to pull together to win. When my team complained to me about the backbiting and arguing, I just told them to stop and get along. I did not realize the division that was being created. Later, as the team captain, I went over to meet the captain from the "Hearing School" team. We shook hands, exchanged pleasantries, and I walked back to my dugout hoping that we would beat them so badly that they would never have the nerve to fight over another Deaf child again. When I arrived back to MSD's dugout I could not believe my eyes. My team who had planned and trained for this event was sitting there battered and bruised. I saw an array of broken arms and spirits, some black eyes, and lots of sprains. To my shock and dismay, when I looked up I saw that the person who had caused the damage, the person wielding the bat was the new kid, the "powerhouse" we had all welcomed so enthusiastically. Just before the start of the game, he let me know he had decided not to play with us after all and was moving on to another team. As always, the Michigan School for the Deaf team rose to the occasion. We taped limbs, bandaged wounds and limped out onto the field. We tied. No ground was gained. No ground was lost. *But we survived.* We survived like we have done for 150 years struggling against the oral climate of the state, against almost insurmountable odds: Staff who are drastically underpaid compared to public schools, staff who receive no respect from their peers in education across the state of Michigan for the fine job they do, staff that truly believe Deaf children can do anything but hear, staff that have formed alliances with hearing parents of Deaf children to make a climate of inclusion and bring all into the light of our vision. I stated earlier dreams often mirror real life or represent unresolved conflict that happens during the daytime hours... maybe not. Cecelia A Winkler Middle aged female from Michigan Educator in Deaf Ed for 28 years Recovering audist Letter From Michigan Upon learning that some MSD administrators perceive Deaf people as disabled, I felt so distraught. In TTMW #52, in a response to Michael Rose's article in issue #51, Ryan Commerson stated he asked the current principal what her perception on deafness was. "Do you view Deaf people as disabled?" Her response, "Yes." Quoting CeCe Winkler, principal of MSD, "My view of Deafness is not from a disability view, but as a cultural perspective HOWEVER.... to be served in this school or to get SSD or whatever they have to be labeled as a "person with a disability". She cited this as an excuse for those administrators to treat us as disabled due to the federal law. MSD is funded by IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), which automatically gives administrators the right to judge of Deafness as a disability. It is a legal term, which that a person must be labeled with disability to receive SSI/SSD and/or attend MSD. It is my understanding that Deaf citizens are not the only group of people receiving SSI/SSD. I have met and read articles on black families in poverty collecting SSI/SSD; the same goes for white families with low income. Cultural minorities are also a wider variety of people who collects SSI/SSD. Why target only Deafness as disabled? Now, let's look at the word DISABILITY. Looking back at the history of America, we can easily find people who faced barriers and discrimination who managed to overcome those given barriers. Laurent Clerc, forefather of Deaf education, William Schyman, the first Deaf professional basketball player, Rhonda Jo Miller, first Deaf women professional basketball player. Julius Caesar had epilepsy, Winston Churchill diagnosed with dyslexia. Franklin D Roosevelt had polio. Isaac Asimov a famous science fiction author lived with Autism. Helen Keller a deaf blind woman. Walt Disney had a learning disability and became a multi-millionaire. Stevie Wonder, a famous blind musician, who hails from Michigan. Let us ask those people if they believe they are disabled. It is unfortunate, even that with such a given history in America, where we had successful individuals overcame barriers. The majority of American people still put barriers up again, and again. I ask of you, has not our history proven them wrong? Disabled or not, every individual has a right to receive the best quality of education and learning atmosphere. I can understand the political terminology perspective of funding the service of a Deaf school. A legal terminology should be all that matters. Administrators should leave that perspective within the political meetings. Those administrators should send encouragement, inspiration, leadership, and promote community service towards the faculty and Deaf children. Some administrators also do not encourage their faculty to attend educational workshop concerning education of the Deaf. Based on my experience, I strongly feel that the administrators do not give a positive support towards Deaf children and staff. Children who do not participate in athletic events have too much time on hand. For all those "wasted" time they sat on the couch watching TV, and playing video games. Those children could have read a book, form a chess club, or anything of interest. Administrators have failed to empower children. It is my belief that the administrators are the one who disables our children from a mindset perspective. Those administrators obviously show no comprehension of Deaf culture, community, and history. They have successfully taught Deaf children to be "disabled" believing that they cannot be nothing more than an American citizen who collect SSI/SSD. Todd J. Morrison * Two In response to Ryan Commerson's article "The Ideal Deaf School Principal" and to Douglass Bullard's Readers React letter to John Lee Clark: I have a problem and an agreement with two of your writers in #59. Ryan Commerson and Douglas Bullard are the two. Where does Commerson get his idea that "the principals" are the root of all evil and promote audism? Is he kidding or just plainly short-sighted? My son's previous principal was a Deaf man named Terry Wilding, currently at the New Mexico School for the Deaf. That principal with all his heritage; foresight; leadership and personality is not one I would want "to go". My son's current principal is Bob Kovatch at the Indiana School for the Deaf. A hearing man with just about 30 years of service to the school. That principal has guided the school wisely, professionally and inspired countless graduates to aim higher in life. This principal is not one I would want "to go". It doesn't matter how a "principal" signs, only how he/she leads their students; staff and school, period. Now, Bullard. I read "Islay" in the fall of 1985. Interesting book. Good concepts. I still have a copy somewhere at home. Now, the curse of being a Deaf writer is to be asked to be a secretary repeatedly or asked to revise papers? Agreed wholeheartedly! Carl Wayne Denney Ryan Commerson responds: While I agree that a principal of a Deaf school or any school for that matter is to guide and inspire graduates to aim higher in life (traits automatically expected of all principals), would Carl Wayne Denney deny that a student should be able to walk up to the principal and seek wisdom in her/his own language? For Deaf people anywhere in the world, the most pressing dilemma is the accessibility to their own language. Of all places, Deaf schools should always be a place where Deaf people can learn and grow to their full potential. Accessibility to a natural and autonomous language, for any culture, is something that must never be compromised. Ryan Commerson
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