The Story of Anne (review)

Comments, Questions, and Answers Alan B. Crammatte Editor The Comments, Questions, and Answers department is published as a service to professional readers and parents of deaf children. It is an attempt to provide practical information on the basic aspects of deafness, particularly in relation to education. Although all questions submitted cannot be used, those considered to be of greatest interest to readers will be published. Answers are prepared by competent authorities. Material submitted must contain the writer's name and address. Address questions and comments to: Alan B. Crammatte, 897 Windsong Dr., Arnold, MD 21012. TO THE EDITORIn the February 1984 issue of the American Annals of the Deaf, I had a manuscript published entitled "Replicating Single -Subject Assessment of Language in Deaf ElementaryAge Children." In that article, an ASL Ability Rating scale was published. Subjects who scored 3.5 or higher were rated as ASL users. I suggested at that time that the tool required further research. I have now assessed a total of 11 hearing-impaired students using both the single-subject design assessment procedure (Luetke-Stahlman and Weiner, 1982 and LuetkeStahlman , 1984) and the ASL Ability Rating scale. The subjects ranged in age from 3 to 21 years of age and all were exposed to Signed English at school. For subjects who were 3;5 to 14; 3 years of age (n = 7), the scale reflected assessed language benefit when subjects were rated less than 2.0. However, older subjects (n=4) did well in both SEE-2 and ASL despite ratings of 0, 2.0, 2.5, and 4.5. I conclude from this work that students should be assessed, given exposure to a variety of languages and systems (L/S), and allowed to systematically demonstrate which L/S functions as a "first language" for them on cognitively demanding tasks. Barbara Luetke-Stahlman Associate Professor Northern Illinois University COMMENT—The Federal Election Commission is "beginning to increase our efforts to reach those in the general public who are hearing impaired." The Commission has jurisdiction over campaign financing on the federal level. Its services include: providing copies of reports and statements filed by candidates and political committees, furnishing speakers for seminars, conferences, and class visits ; free publications (a free brochure lists these); a monthly newsletter, the Record; and making staff available for answering questions. Call 800-424-9530 (TDD available) for information. COMMENT—The Hispanic Deaf Newsletter is a newsletter for teachers, parents, and university personnel who are interested in better serving hearing-impaired students from Spanish-speaking homes. It is distributed at least three times a year for a subscription cost of $5.00 per year. Currently about 50 subscribers from throughout the United States (and three other countries) support the HDN effort. In addition to the newsletter, subscribers have access to a variety of manuscripts concerned with Hispanic Deaf issues. These are distributed for the cost of duplication and mailing and are advertised regularly in the HDN. For more information, contact Dr. Barbara LuetkeStahlman , Dept. of Special Education, Northern Illinois University, DeKaIb, IL 60115; 815-753-0657. Reviews The Story of Anne, Margaret A. Balentine and Conrad I. Balentine , 218 pp., $8.95, paperback, Margaret A. Balentine, Burrington , IN 46714, 1985. Ours is not the silence which sooths, It is an inhuman silence which severs and estranges, It is a silence which isolates, cruelly and completely. Hearing is the deepest, most humanizing, philosophical sense man possesses. Helen Keller QUERY to educators in mainstream programs—While there is great controversy concerning mainstream programs, I beleive that many successful strategies are being used. However , they may not be widely known. Would readers please send me a description of successful components in their mainstream programs? Tell what the component is, how it works, how it was implemented, and why it is said to be successful. Such components may be an in-service program for other personnel in the building, an after-school program for hearing-impaired students, a sign language instruction program for parents, a team teaching effort involving teachers of hearing and of hearing-impaired students, a parent council, an so on. Your responses will be used in connection with a current research project. Contact Paul C...