CHAPTER 29

"Why is there a movement to close down residential schools for the deaf in this country?"

Money. Many deaf schools are not state-run, some operate with very little government funding. But why?
I believe that deaf schools should be state-run because deaf education is just as important as standard state school education. "Mainstreaming sounds like a great, inexspensive alternative to costly state-run schools". Mainstreaming law was not originally intended for deaf children rather is was a way to ensure that handicapped/disabled childrens individual needs. Instead it became an excuse to shift deaf education from residential schools into local day programs. It is said that many parents want their deaf kids to be "normal" but what is "normal"?
There are many advantages as well as disadvantages to residential schools. However, I feel as though the community should have more of a choice!

"The future of the schools depends on the support of the deaf community"

CHAPTER 28

"What do deaf people think of all this controversy about methodologies and literacy and all this criticism of deaf schools? If the old schools for the deaf were doing something right, what was it?

Before "manually coded English" or "Sign-supported speech" or "contact sign language" or "Pidgin Sign English" were established many deaf people had their early education at home. Your teacher was your paretns, or older sibiling_ someone you had a one on one relationship with. Of course if you were a deaf child in a hearing family this complicates everything. A parent of a deaf child would then hae to learn sign language and would not be able to teach until the language was understood by them first.
Luckily in 1817, Hartford Asylum opened and deaf children and adults finally had access to real education. This is where Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc who were the orignial faculty at the school came into history. According to chapter 28, Clerc used a form of French Sign language. Although deaf students (just as hearing students would) adapted to their own preferences, they adapted to their own form of signing. These students took some of Clercs' signs borrowed, changed, and rejected much of the teaching. Just like every language students had to be practiced, and the students of this school had lots of practice.

practice makes perfect, practice, practice, practice! :)

CHAPTER 27

"Doesn't closed-captioning help deaf people improve their English"

"Captioning is best appreciated by those with a reasonable degree of fluency in written English_ a fluency many Deaf viewers simply do not have". Considering that ASL is the language to Deaf people, they feel more comfortable with signs rather than wrtitten English. Just as a native English speaker would feel  more comfortable with written English rather than signs. Many deaf people preger interpreters on TV because they can see the signs, facial inflections and rhythm that provides a much clearer visual sense than written English across the bottom of a screen. 
I agree with this chapter because I do believe that closed-captioning has the potential to increase English skills among deaf viewers. However, I feel as if the captioning industry should focus on the wants of the Deaf cmmunity because they are the people who use the system.

CHAPTER 26

"Why don't some Deaf people like to read?"

ASL has no traditional written form, and it is considered more important for deaf children to learn good speech before they learn good reading and writing skills. So the main focus is for children to learn speech first. Many hearing people have misconceptions about deaf people and reading, but these are  not necessarily true. Many say that they should love reading for some sort on enjoyment and some believe that deaf people are not as intelligent as a hearing person. I believe that deaf people could have these ssame misconceptions about hearing people because ASL is a challenging language to learn. If ASL had a written form people would have to learn how to read and understand it just as a person has to learn to read English. In Chapter 26 the author states, "Oralists commonly blame ASL for Deaf people's poor reading and writing skills". I believe that learning any language that is not native to your own is tough and takes time to become "fluent".

CHAPTER 25

"Why do so many Deaf people have trouble with English?"

English is primarily a spoken language, hearing infants are born into a world that is full of people interacting with one another. A child unconsciously absorb this dialect the moment they are born. However, think about a child who is born deaf. A child who hears nothing from the moment they are born. Hearing children can hear and imitate what the people around them are saying but a deaf child can only see the expressions on ones face. A deaf child with parents who do not know any sign are forced to go to school with no language established at all. Can you imagine how hard that could be?
I couldnt imagine.
This could have a negative effect on a deaf childs educational development throughout their life time.
ASL and English are two different languages, so if a deaf person is just learning ASL they have to learn English as well and because English is a spoken language it makes the learning process so much more difficult. Just like any language that you will learn, it takes lots of practice!

CHAPTER 24

"In my pamphlets and textbooks, Deaf people are portrayed as being delighted when "the Hearing" learn Signing. But I get the impression from other sources that Deaf people resent hearing people doing that. What's the real situation?"

Just like the previous chapter, the deaf community do not like the fact that hearing people learn sign language to further themselves within the deaf community and get paid while doing it. They feel as if these hearing people learning their language are doing it to benefit themselves with no respect to the owners of the language itself. I agree with the author in this chapter when stated, "it depends on what your motivation is in learning how to sign, your attitude, the context, who's teaching you, who's learning with you, and whom you're mingling with".
Deaf people admire their native language and they want people to respect it in a way that it deserves to be respected. ASL is a beautiful, constantly changing language and for the people who are learning because of interest and a desire to communicate with the deaf community are more respected by deaf people.

CHAPTER 23

"Im always getting asked where I learned sign language. Do all people do that?"

ASL is the language to the deaf community, it belongs to them. Many deaf people ask these questions because they are interested in why a hearing person has learned their language. Also, In chapter 23 the author states about hearing people "some of them think they're above deaf folks, they use their skill to gain cachet in the deaf community, and manipulate deaf people to satisfy thier own craving for power." That said I feel as if deaf people question hearing people because of that. 
When a hearing person is fluent in ASL because they admire sign language as another language and have taken college course or independent learning classes a deaf person is going to be more impressed because they didnt necessarily have to choose sign language as another language to learn. Just as if a native spanish speaker learned English and spoke it as a beautifully as a native English speaking person would. Questions like these are natural when it comes to someone picking up on another language that is not their own :)

CHAPTER 22:

"I understand it is bad manners to watch people signing without their knowing that you also sign. But it is bad manners to interrupt people who are signing and telling them that you are taking courses in ASL even if you sign in English?"

Sign language obviously isnt "private". In fact, a sign conversation can be read across the room. Deaf people may feel protected around hearing people however because they know that statistics and know that many hearing people who are not native ASL users would have a hard time understanding a conversation of two deaf people. Deaf people use a jacket or something to create a "sign-sheild" this would be like a hearing person telling another hearing person a secret in their ear with their hands around their mouth while speaking. In public signing environments its okay to watch others signing and join in. It would be the same as a hearing person over hearing a conversation at the bus stop and adding a comment to what was already said. Although, you may be fascinated with ASL (like  myself) think about a situation as if you were deaf.. would you want someone to constantly interupting your conversation just to tell you that they are in ASL class? It could possibly get old.

I agree that it all depends on the situation and whom you are with. It is important to remember that people react differently to every situation, for example one deaf person you talk to may be thrilled that you know sign language while the next may look at you like youre crazy.