I had the distinct honor to serve as the welcoming speaker at the Association of College Educators of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing national conference that is being held in New Orleans March 5-8. In my keynote, I addressed an audience of both hard of hearing and hearing-able people. All the conference's participants ultimately work to help students and their families develop the skills to communicate in a multi-ability world.
We are a city filled with hearing and deaf people who can sign and interpret. More often than you think, parents and siblings learn to sign along with a child who loses or does not have the ability to hear. In addition, many of us will lose or have lost that sense. As we rebuild New Orleans, this blended community pays close attention to the degrees of inclusivity in our hospitals, museums, theatres, radio stations, tourist attractions, schools and colleges. Gladly, the conference host, Hotel Monteleone, possesses a full-time interpreter for their deaf and hard of hearing guests.
Nevertheless, deaf educators in particular have gained a unique insight into New Orleans' recovery efforts. The rest of us should listen to these educators.
Without question, our schools and universities need more teachers and professors who can tap into the skills of the hard of hearing. I'm not talking about the development of the almost faddish practice of teaching children sign language to enhance their reading and language abilities. I am talking about the brain-gain that comes from an additional language. Educators of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing know that good ideas do not come packaged in a particular accent. Good ideas don't hear or sound a certain way or come in a particular color. Good ideas add to the body of knowledge that improves the human condition.
We are not taking full advantage of the diversity we have in the city to address our many social, economic and structural problems. We need all of New Orleans' residents to help find solutions to the range of problems that exist. When we exclude someone's perspective, we lose an opportunity to gain knowledge, and that is why I support the Educators of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing's efforts to locate and educate individuals who can access the under-utilized resources of the deaf community.
The days of putting all the deaf kids in separate institutions should be over. However, schools need more educators to make schools inclusive. If you know how to sign or have worked in the deaf community, consider becoming a teacher and assist the Association of College Educators of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in their pursuit of better outcomes. The next great City Council member, activist, or engineer may not be able to speak a word and we might all be the better for it.
This article was originally published in the March 9, 2009 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper
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