Letters to the Editor

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Bilingual-Bicultural Education I am appreciative of Dr. Stewart's comment in his review of Manual Communication: Implications for Education CAAD, July 1992) on the need for people to stereotype within deaf education. I realized that I enjoy being a counselor because I can deal with my clients one on one, and can communicate with them in the manner most effective for them, whether that be ASL, Signed English, Pidgin, drawing pictures, orally.... What frightens me about the Bi-Bi movement is the need to pigeonhole such a diverse population. I admit that education for the deaf needs a major overhaul, and I applaud all efforts to seek effective change. But just as oralism plugged everyone into one system, aren't we moving in the same direction today, at the other end of the spectrum? If anything, our population of students is even more varied than it was 20 years ago. Shouldn't our educational system be as well? Noreen Collins, Counselor Commission on the Deaf and Hearing Impaired, State of Connecticut West Hartford, CT Minority, Poor, and Deaf—Possible Solutions I would like to take this opportunity to reply to your editorial entitled "Minority, Poor, and Deaf (A4Z), July 1992) As a student preparing to work teaching deaf children, I hope that I can shed some light on possible solutions to the dilemma at hand. The quality of education for deaf children in our city schools is truly a sad state of affairs. I believe that the environment surrounding the classroom is equally important as what happens in the actual classroom and should be shown parallel attention. Programs like Big Brother/Big Sister in correlation with the suburban schools could help the situation. Perhaps elderly deaf people could volunteer their time in the city schools to help with language development at a lessened expense to the schools. Interaction between deaf and hearing students in the schools could also lessen stress—perhaps sign language classes or other structured events would help here. There is no doubt as to the importance of curbing drugs and other harmful activities or of the importance of quality instruction. It is my contention that the energy and resources used in the classroom should be divided among different areas needing attention. Staff and funds should be allocated to teaching in the classroom and to rectifying communication barriers with minority parents, as well as to educating students and the public of the dangers of illegal activities. This is not a simple solution, but we are not presented with a simple problem. In summation, we cannot ignore any of the areas related to the education of deaf children in city schools and, therefore, all that can be done must be done. Ellen Kuester, Student Deaf Education Lamar University Beaumont, TX THE DEAF PROGRAM AT BUCKEYE BOYS RANCH Opening New Doors For Understanding The right choice for treating deaf/hard of hearing adolescents with emotional disturbances. The Deaf Program is located in the Leslie A. Bostic Intensive Care Center which provides a highly structured and secure setting for residents. For information, contact: Director of Admissions Buckeye Boys Ranch, Inc. 5665 Hoover Rd. Grove City, Ohio 43123 614/875-2371 TTY 614/875-6066 FAX 614/875-2116 308 AAD Vol.137,No.4 ...