For This Child I Will Advocate
By Danielle Cleveland, North Dakota H&V
I want to share a recent difficult experience our family had. I don’t want to be negative, but rather help us recognize where our obstacles and shortcomings are if we want to see improvement in educational access moving forward.
I’m the proud parent of a kindergartener who utilizes cochlear implants for sound awareness. Even with CIs, our child struggles with speech recognition, so also uses an American Sign Language interpreter in educational settings. He definitely watches faces and speechreads, too. I’d like to acknowledge that this mask-wearing time is scary and frustrating for people who watch faces to know what is going on.
Excited and nervous, we arrived for the first day of “Intro to Kindergarten,” a group session for all kindergarteners. When I greeted the teacher, I mentioned that my son is deaf and is the one using the interpreter. “I did not know we had a deaf student today,” said the very kind teacher. We did learn that the “intro” teacher is not the actual teacher the students will have when the formal school year begins, and this session was meant for practice. This intro teacher clearly hadn’t been prepared well. I reminded myself that the “Introduction” is just practice and tried to go with the flow, but noted that this practice seemed odd, and certainly not ideal for children on IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) to meet two teachers as they begin kindergarten.
“We don’t have an interpreter here yet.” We learned that the school’s start time had been changed, and the interpreter (whom we love) hadn’t been informed. This suggested to us that the school did not prioritize my son’s needs for access. Are the interpreters informed about school wide and classroom plans so that they can advocate for their students’ needs? In fairness, I realize that their primary concern with this “intro” time was probably to see if a room full of kindergarteners would keep their masks on. So, I offered to interpret in the classroom until the interpreter arrived to ensure he had the access to the instruction that all other kindergarteners were getting as he entered his room for the first time.
“No parents are allowed into the building,” was the response during COVID-19, even though I had a mask on and there was a need for communication. I was not satisfied with that response, so I asked the teacher to seek out the principal.
When the principal came, I again explained that my son is deaf and needs an interpreter. A 5-year-old can’t be expected to go into an unfamiliar place without being able to communicate and be held to any instruction. He will be confused and excluded. That isn’t “equal access,” per Americans with Disabilities Act. Her response (take a deep breath before reading this) was, “Well, we can have him wait outside until the interpreter gets here.”
How I managed not to lose my cool, I’ll never know.
COVID has created new territory for our schools. I’m choosing to believe the principal was stressed about the new COVID policies, has known very few deaf students, and had no intent of harm with her suggestion. Instead of considering equal access to instruction, she chose to fixate on the new policy that no parents should enter the building.
I calmly reminded her that singling my son out and segregating him for his deafness is not equal access. Under ADA law, a public institution MUST provide reasonable accommodations, and making a deaf kindergartener wait outside for an interpreter (when his parent is present and able to act in the interpreter’s place until she arrives) is NOT a reasonable accommodation. While she expressed concern about making any exception to the “no parents allowed” rule, ultimately, my knowledge of current CDC guidelines and ADA law provided her with enough information to allow me to accompany my son to his classroom.
After the interpreter arrived, I left to speak with the principal again to discuss the importance of face shields and clear masks for those instructing or communicating with my son, such as physical education and music teachers, hallway monitors, and para-educators.
“Only the interpreter will be instructing your child, so she was the only one who needed a clear mask.”
Well, as parents and professionals within the world of deaf education, we know this isn’t accurate. I explained to her that much of a child’s learning comes from the interactions with every adult and peer s/he has access to during their day. This “incidental learning” plays a critical role in language development and the sense of social inclusion. So, the librarian, other staff he interacts with, and every child in his classroom should have a clear mask or face shield.
We are still working on resolving these issues. Equal access and reasonable accommodations are terms that all parents (and eventually, students) should know. Our kids are capable of anything, so advocate for what they need to succeed, whether that be clear masks, face shields, interpreter services, classroom modifications, FM systems, or other individualized need. Don’t be afraid to speak up. The teachers and school staff want to help, but they can’t instinctively understand what is needed. Together, we can ensure these school “re-start” education plans are developed in ways that are fair, safe, AND legally compliant, keeping in mind the unique learning needs of our deaf and hard of hearing children. ~
Editor’s note: The shirt the child is wearing was a perfect tie to the article; the child is not related to this topic and his picture is printed with permission.
H&V Communicator – Fall 2020