Sum: Linguists at schools for the deaf

[Susan Fischer]

I received a number of responses to my query about the role of
linguists at schools for the deaf.  The responses have been forwarded
to my colleague.
It appears that quite a few schools for the deaf have people on staff
with linguistics training, though not all have doctorates; they are
viewed as important resources in curriculum development.  Here are the
responses I got, with irrelevant or personal details edited out.:

_________________
As of september 2002, -›  have been working -ß t Effatha, -× ne of the È   deaf
institutes in the Netherlands. Before me, there have been more
linguists here. My tasks are to guide and support the teachers in their
way of teaching language (Dutch or Sign Language of the Netherlands,
also reading), write the plan regarding language for the whole school
and implement it, too. There's so much to do, I can't even explain it
in a few words, but these are the main tasks for me.
I know of at least two other deaf institutes in this country (Viataal
and Guyot), where there is a linguist working. They always are really
important people within the institute.

-( anguage is the basis of learning. Deaf children have problems aquiring
the language in which all the books in school are written in, and there
environment is talking in. -¥ here are no programs made in the language
that they do speak, their own
sign language. So we need people with knowledge regarding languages and
how children develop them!

-›  hope this will make a difference.
Good luck!

-+ arileen Louwerse
Stichting Onderwijs Effatha
Postbus 184
2700 AD Zoetermeer
079-3294542

________________
Sheila White (an ethologist!) was on the staff at Lexington Center many
years ago, studying and advising the baby clinic.  Not a linguist, but
an interestingly person whose credentials are outside of Deaf Ed,
Speech Path, etc.  .....

Sue Livingston (NYC) got her doctorate in English Education from NYU
(read, applied linguistics) while working at PS 47.  She was working
for LaGuardia CC last time I had contact directly (several years ago).
Nancy Frishberg  +1 650.556.1948  nancyf at fishbird.com
_____________
At least two linguists at schools that I know of:

Elizabeth Engburg-Peterson (? sp? Engberg-Pedersen (SDF)  at Rhode
Island (coauthored book with
Peter Blackwell et al.).

Keith Russell at New Mexico (coauthored book with Steve Quigley and
moi).

Probably others. Will be interesting to see.

Cheers

Des
________________
I received my PhD in linguistics from University of New Mexico.  I
believe,
there have been a couple of linguists working at NM School for the Deaf.
One in the capacity of ASL specialist and the other is involved in
curriculum development -- Steve Nover.  Hopefully, my information is
correct.

Karen Naughton
_______________
In the Netherlands it is not uncommon at all to hire linguists at deaf
schools. I myself have been employed by one (at St. Michielsgestel), and
will be again soon. I know that the deaf school in Groningen hires one
(Nini
Hoiting)and that at the deaf schools in Rotterdam and Amsterdam two more
linguists are employed. I hope this helps.
Inge Zwitserlood
_________________
I'm a quasi-linguist and work at the Illinois School for the Deaf. My
doctoral program was interdisciplinary in nature and my work was in
linguistics, developmental psycholinguistics, and sociology (symbolic
interactionism). However, I do not have the breadth nor depth of
knowledge in linguistics that a linguist has.

My background has had a very positive impact on staff and students at
this school.
Mickey Jones, Ph.D.
Director
Evaluation Center
Illinois School for the Deaf
125 Webster
Jacksonville, IL  62650
217-479-4274  V/TTY
217-479-4290  Fax

Email: DHSVRCV at dhs.state.il.us
______________
Thanks to the people who responded.
Susan Fischer

Susan D. Fischer                                Contact info:
Dept. of Research                               Phone: 585-475-6558
NTID/RIT                                                Fax:  585-475-7101
96 Lomb Memorial Drive                  email: fischer at mail.rit.edu
Rochester, NY 14623-5604                        Web: http://www.rit.edu/~sdfncr
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: text/enriched
Size: 5660 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/slling-l/attachments/20030203/e0ea0006/attachment.bin>