MZ’s comment on “Child Abused”
I read MZ’s post and her reader’s comments. I got many flashback from many of the reader’s experience in life going through as an oralist.
I was/am still an oralist but ASL is my primary language because I can function better as a “input/output†data flow communication human being.
Ella’s comment about Thomas Jefferon’s famed words from the Declaration of Independence,
A Deaf person’s life, liberty and happiness have been severely aborted through oralism. …..so has my life too. How TRUE it is!
I am more fortunate than many deaf people going through oralism and on the scale of 10, many hearing people say that I have 9+ on my ability to speak verbally.
But sadly, my ability to speak so well despite of my 90 db is that I, at young age, have actually ruined many, many deaf children because the oral school used me as a model to naïve hearing parents of deaf babies, saying that their child can speak as well as me……oh please God, forgive me.
Many people have asked me, “Do you resent your parents for what they did to you?â€
My answer at first was, YES!
But after a long hard thought, I realize that my parents were brainwashed,…. they were so innocently ignorance about what a deaf child need, which was a visual language, ASL.
Most of our parents were not child abusers. It was “them†who had brainwashed our parents.
Many of you can write a book about your experience so that the public and hearing parents of deaf babies learn/read about it and be aware of those brainwashers…. So that in the future, a Deaf person’s life, liberty and happiness will not be severely aborted through oralism.
The child abusers are the “anti-visual language” eugenicist/organizations, not your parents.
John F. Egbert
Posted on April 16th, 2007 by egbertpress
Filed under: Uncategorized
I agreed with John. It is the system that we has been fighting for the sake of deaf children.
Mark
Yes, my parents were assumed by doctor and school of education that I could actually learn to speak. I have learned to not blame on my parents for what they had done to me. I had to get an interpreter and had to face up to my parents, releasing my emotional anger because of oppressive and abusvie living as when growing up and taking away my rights. Now, I have four hearing kids, wondering that I am abusive to my kids for learning ASL? Or should I speaking, not allowing ASL since they are hearing? They are fluently in ASL, looking up their Deaf parents and our communications access are met. I love them dearly!
Exactly. You put the words so well…there are so many hidden behaviors that most people don’t see, and a child would be used as a shining example of the success of the oral program. In my deaf class, two hard of hearing children were used to show how well they speak, and the rest of us like me and others were kept silent. I agree with you about parents wanting the best for their children, and they are not always well informed. I love Ella’s words.
Parents are definitely responsible for their own offsprings’ well-beings from happiness to educational options. They should not look to the children as their own property.
Our country’s educational system really SUCK anyway!
Why not create the national czar on Deaf Education to issue out centralized policy for deaf youngsters and have the mandate for physicians and other related organizations to be banned from influencing on parents’ decision to educate deaf youngsters??
RLM
[…] and, in no particular order: “Is Oralism A Child Abuse?’ By Mishka Zena (by Aidan Mack) MZ’s comment on “Child Abused†(by John Egbert) Response to MZ on Child Abuse/Oralism (by Here I […]
I agreed with you 100 percent for parents were brainwashed, I could not blame on them since some teachers, board of directors, prinicipal, counselors or audio dept gave them their terrible advice as long as they thought what was best for their children! Later on when I got older so my parents realized how they treat me like that way. Today more parents listen what their children complain or notice their behavior changes than the teachers tell them.