No subject

[rek at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU]

Dear all,

As a member of the academic community, I can say that Stuart is probably
correct. Furthermore, in speaking with some of my colleagues about this, I have
been told that SW did not emerge from the Deaf community AND the Deaf
community, as a whole (what does that mean? NAD?), does not support it. That is
a (big) blanket statement. It is true that it did not emerge from the Deaf
community, and I don't have a problem with that, but I am cautious because I am
a hearing person. I am always interested in becoming acquainted with "Deaf
views". They are valuable, and they can provide insight we hearing people could
not begin to provide.
More than that, I always try to look at the history of oral languages to find
some parallels, and perhaps, that allows me to be more flexible in this
context. Sometimes, I think it doesn't matter whose idea it was, as long as it
helps to overcome a challenge. However, I am looking to the Deaf communities of
the world to see how they respond to SW, and to what SW can do to enhance their
educational experience. I think Gallaudet continues to be "one of a kind" in
our global society, and that gives them a lot of power. On the other hand, by
virtue of having been born in a "foreign" linguistic context, Deaf people need
to become bilingual in order to do well in the powerful hearing world. I do
understand however, that we don't need to abandon our native linguistic
background in order to acquire the language of the majority. In this way,
embracing SW does not necessarily mean that we push written English aside. At
least, not in a bilingual ed. setting.

Respectfully,

Ruth

Dr. Ruth Claros-Kartchner
Associate Professor
Spanish/ Bilingual/ E.S.L. Education
Program Coordinator
University of Arizona South
1140 N. Colombo Ave.
Sierra Vista, AZ 85635
520-626-2422 ext. 2119 (Tucson Line)
520-458-8278 ext. 2119 (S.V. Line)
520-626-2492 (FAX Tucson Line)