Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1081161
reality, we are all equal. Some of us just use another language to communicate." Years ago, Marlton was considered a state-of-the-art school that offered extracurricular activities including a wide range of sports, plus woodshop, culinary arts, art and theater. Funding cuts eliminated these pro- grams along with most electives. "It's sad to see those programs go, because they were instrumental to our students' learning and social experiences," says Hall. "Participating in sports and community-based instruction — a program designed for Deaf students from 18 to 22 to be college and career ready — allowed our students to build self- esteem and become team leaders as well as team players with their peers. They also learned how to communicate with each other and other adults. "With those programs cut, it's like losing limbs. It affects school morale. It's difficult getting students excited when they have nothing to do after school but go home where they are alone. Many of the stu- dents' families do not sign, and they feel like strangers among their families." Noe Perez, a Marlton senior and vice president of his class, says that he has noticed the school's decline since he enrolled as a fifth-grader. "When I first came here, there was a lot of interac- tion," he signs. "I liked it. I wish there were more things going on for students now like sports, social events and field trips. Because of these things, the school's population has gotten smaller. I think bringing things back like sports would help Marlton improve and make it a better place." A s pro g ra m s dw i n d l e d , cl a ss si z e s i n cre a s e d dramatically. The California Department of Edu- cation re c omm end s a t each er -stud ent ratio for this population of 1-to-8, but many classes have A scene from one of the protests held at Marlton last spring, when teachers, students, parents and alumni sought to have their voices heard. 35 F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 019 Glossary Terms associated in Deaf Education and the Deaf community deaf with a small d Describes a medical condi- tion of not hearing. Deaf with a capital D Indicates those who asso- ciate themselves with Deaf culture including Deaf his- tory, traditions, beliefs and behaviors. This story uses Deaf in an all-inclusive man- ner to reflect people who may identify as Deaf, deaf, DeafBlind, hard of hearing or late-deafened (where individuals lose their hear- ing over time or suddenly become deaf, which can happen at any age). Hard of hearing The same as being deaf with partial hearing loss. Hearing impaired A derogatory term in the Deaf community, since members consider them- selves neither hearing nor impaired. American Sign Language (ASL) A complete language for Deaf people with its own vocabulary and grammar that differ from English. The perception is that ASL is easy to learn, but many compare its complexity to Arabic or Japanese. Researchers — and edu- cators in Deaf Education — recommend Deaf students master ASL to develop their metalinguistic skills so they can more eas- ily learn to read, write and speak (if applicable) in English. ASL-English bilingualism Designed to facilitate early language acquisition in both a visual language (ASL) and a written/spoken language (English). This approach can be implemented to meet the individual needs of children with varying hearing levels and varying levels of benefit from listening devices. Cochlear implant A surgically implanted device that provides a sense of sound to a person with severe to profound hearing loss. Cochlear implants bypass the normal acoustic hearing process, instead replacing it with electric hearing. Implants are not a "cure" for deafness — deaf people don't understand speech perfectly as soon as the device is activated. They must spend months or years working with speech therapists, learning how to process this unfamiliar sen- sory input. Language deprivation Occurs in Deaf children when they are not exposed to an accessible language during their first few years of life, a critical period for language acquisition. Audism Term used to describe a negative attitude toward Deaf or hard of hearing peo- ple. It is typically thought of as a form of discrimination, prejudice, or an unwilling- ness to accommodate those who cannot hear.