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Deafness : Inclusion and Deafness Report Contents
University of Manchester, June 14th 1999
9.1 Inclusion
9.1.a There was a lack of clarity about what we mean by inclusion. This is not unique to the debate about Deaf issues and inclusion, it is a common problem in many meetings. Inevitably participants came with their own preconceived ideas about what the term inclusion means and whether it is possible for Deaf children to be included in mainstream schools. In India, for example, the National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped organise ‘camps’ in villages to prepare the community members for the inclusion of the Deaf children in their local school. In future meetings the range of options for the inclusion of Deaf children in education should be made clearer, with concrete examples.
9.1.b The harsh reality for the majority of Deaf children is that they are excluded from any kind of education in the income-poor countries of the South for economic, cultural and logistical reasons. It is not possible to provide education for all Deaf children in separate schools for Deaf children, as this tends to be the most expensive form of education. One of the major disadvantages of residential schools for Deaf children is that they diminish the role of the family. Children tend to become dislocated from their family’s language, culture and way of life and this has far-reaching consequences for their adult lives, especially in income-poor countries where families provide individual family members with long-term economic security.
9.1.c The following excerpt from the Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education (para 21) indicates that the needs of Deaf children are viewed differently from the needs of children with other impairments:
"Owing to the particular communication needs of Deaf
and deaf/blind persons, their
education may be more suitably provided in
special schools or special classes and units in mainstream schools."
9.1.d Although this may be a valid viewpoint in a Northern context, where resources are relatively plentiful, the likelihood of all Deaf children being educated in special schools and units in a Southern context is very remote.
9.1.e Inclusion is essentially a Western, or Northern term, developed in a Northern context where the medical model of disability and deafness predominates, and where there are enormous institutional barriers to inclusion. Practitioners in the North have a great deal to learn from those who work in very difficult, but very different, circumstances in income-poor countries, where the social model of deafness is more prevalent and the term ‘inclusion’ is interpreted according to the particular culture and context.
9.1.f Inclusion is not only about schooling, however. We should not belittle the impact and importance of community learning and the involvement of community members in formal schooling. Families and communities can play a very valuable role in the education of Deaf children. Similarly teachers have a great deal to learn from the community. We need to support ways of facilitating an exchange of learning between teachers, community members and the children themselves.
9.1.g The involvement, or inclusion, of Deaf adults in the education of Deaf children is not only desirable, but essential. Deaf adults are a valuable community resource. Examples were given of Deaf adults working as headteachers and teachers of academic subjects in schools for deaf children in some countries in Africa. The increasing prevalence of the medical model of deafness and the over-professionalisation of Deaf education in Africa, however, was seen as a threat to the continued inclusion of Deaf adults in education.
9.2 Sign Language
"Educational policies should take full account of
individual differences and situations.
The importance of Sign Language as
the medium of education among the Deaf, for example,
should be recognised
and provision made to ensure that all Deaf persons have access
to education
in their national Sign Language."
Framework for Action, Salamanca (Para 21).
9.2.a In Northern countries opinions are split between those who argue for segregated education because of the need to develop Sign Language and Deaf Culture and those who advocate for integration in the interests of improving spoken language skills. Interestingly supporters of sign bilingualism are less concerned with the location of the children and more concerned to ensure that Sign Language is used as a basis for learning an oral language. Sign bilingualism, when done well, ensures an understanding and appreciation of both Deaf and hearing cultures. Whatever method of communication is adopted in whatever educational context, Deaf children should have access to their national Sign Language. Rule 5 of The UN Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities makes a clear statement about accessibility to information and communication:
"Consideration should be given to the use of Sign
Language in the education of Deaf children,
in their families and in their
communities. Sign Language interpretation services should also be
provided
to facilitate the communication between Deaf persons and others."
9.2.b A more detailed discussion is needed about the teaching and learning of Sign Language in the South. Greater clarity is also needed about how Sign Language can be promoted at family and community level so that children can have access to education in their village schools. It is necessary to balance the needs of Deaf people to have access to Sign Language, while at the same time guaranteeing their right to remain members of their immediate communities.
9.2.c Future meetings should also cover some basic facts about the effects of deafness on the natural acquisition of language. The implications of educational inclusion should be considered in the light of the inaccessibility of spoken language to Deaf children, especially in countries where audiological services are non-existent.
9.3 Deaf Culture and Community
9.3.a When two Deaf people come together, there is the beginning of a Deaf community and of Sign Language. This does not necessarily have to happen in an educational setting. An example was given from Mozambique of a Deaf awareness campaign which revealed that two Deaf children had been living next door to each other, without realising that the other existed. Clearly a Deaf community does not necessarily develop spontaneously, especially where children do not attend school, and are sometimes hidden by their families. Not surprisingly, many Deaf people often feel very isolated and alone in the hearing world. In the example from Mozambique CBR workers worked alongside Deaf adults from the national association of Deaf people to raise awareness of deafness among individual families and communities in rural areas and to encourage Deaf people to meet together.
"Deaf communities tend to be stronger where schools for Deaf children exist."
9.3.b There is an urgent need to support the development of Deaf communities, especially where there is no school for Deaf children. The examples from Afghanistan demonstrate that this is possible, even in a country where the basic infrastructure has broken down. It is the sharing of a common language and culture, which defines Deaf communities as unique. There is no equivalent of a Deaf community among people with other specific impairments, although the disability rights movement talks about a generic disability culture.
9.4 Listening to the views of Deaf people
9.4.a The question of whether Deaf people want to be part of the inclusion process was left unresolved. It is not surprising that many Deaf adults, including the only Deaf participant, state their preference for separate schools for Deaf children. The most vocal Deaf adults have usually attended a school for Deaf children and therefore have no other experience with which to compare. Deaf children need to experience inclusion in their communities before they can pass judgement on it.
9.4.b There is often conflict between what parents want for their child and what a Deaf child wants. Equally there is often a discrepancy between what Deaf adults determine that Deaf children need and what parents want for their child. Parents tend to prefer to listen to the so-called experts, but Deaf adults are also experts. It is not only hearing professionals whose opinions should be sought. In a recent UK survey of perceptions of good practice by parents, Deaf students and teachers, there was no concensus of opinion. This would indicate the wide range of opinions expressed. There is a need for Deaf people to become involved in researching the needs of Deaf children in education and to have an input into policy-making.
9.4.c The distinction between Deaf and deafened was highlighted in the discussion. This led to a debate about the usefulness of categorising disabled people according to the degree of their impairment. It was acknowledged, however, that there is considerable inequality of opportunities available to people loosely described as ‘Deaf’, with deafened people having greater opportunities than those who are born Deaf. This is usually because of their ability to speak and integrate easily with hearing people.
9.4.d In future meetings there should be Deaf participants from the South who have a firm understanding and experience of educational issues.
9.5 Interpreters
9.5.a If Deaf people are to be more included in society the need for interpreters has to be addressed. It is important to be clear about what is meant by interpreters. It is important to clarify the terminology and be clear about the meaning of the following terms: "interveners", "communicators" and "educational interpreters". In the UK it is important to distinguish between professional and unqualified interpreters and there are strict rules about the length of time an interpreter should work. However in the income-poor countries where interpreter services are only just emerging in some countries, it is unlikely that there are officially recognised qualifications for interpreters. Family members are often employed to interpret for organisations of Deaf people.
9.5.b It is important to distinguish between the different types of interpreters. Interpreting skills which are required by those who work in an educational setting with very young Deaf children, whose language is only just emerging, is very different from those who work in parliament, for example, or with organisations of Deaf adults. It is essential that this distinction is made. The different skills needed in the classroom should be appreciated. Being Deaf is not automatically a qualification for being an educational interpreter.
9.6 Training issues
9.6.a The value of training teachers from Southern countries in universities in the UK should be seriously questioned. There is an enormous difference between North and South in terms of working conditions and the availability of material resources. Differences in the causes of deafness between North and South mean that there are very different populations of Deaf children in the segregated schools in the South from those in the North. As hearing teachers of Deaf children have greater access to professional training in the North, Deaf teachers are likely to become less involved in Deaf education, as paper qualifications take on greater importance than signing fluency and knowledge of Deaf Culture.
Deafness : Inclusion and Deafness Report Contents
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22/10/1999