Well...we have reached the finish line, or the starting line, however you want to look at it. Court was incredible. We got the certified interpreter (yippee!!) and she was great! We had the same judge that our other daughter was adopted with, so she got to see our family come full circle. The girls CASA worker was there even though she has been off their case for years. CPS and our private agency case worker was also there. Then there was the court reporter, the interpreter and the 4 of us. It was pretty full. The judge first took us to private quarters, but it was too crowded, so we moved to a courtroom upstairs. The CASA worker recorded the whole adoption for us, she kept the camera on Rebecca's back and the interpreter so that she can watch we can all watch it back later. We took several pictures of the girls and the judge on the bench and then a picture of all of us with the judge. The interpreter came up to me afterwards with tears in her eyes saying this was the best and most rewarding interpreting job she has had in 30 years and thanked me for making sure that they had her there. She said that she has interpreted babies being born and thought that was incredible, but our adoption experience blew that out of the water. I loved her and I am so grateful that I pushed for her. Thank you Ms. Washington! You were wonderful and an answer to my prayers.
After court the girls ran out of the courthouse screaming (they had been quiet for an hour), "OH YEAH!!!" Rebecca screamed, "I'm adopted" at the top of her lungs.
Then we headed to San Antonio for a weekend at Sea World and the River Walk. The evening of our adoption we took the girls to the Hemisphere Tower for dinner. They enjoyed the scenic views of San Antonio. We crashed right after dinner at our hotel and then got up early for breakfast and Sea World. Sea World was very accomodating and the girls had a fantastic time both days! The last day it was sprinkling, so we walked down the river walk a little bit, drove by the Alamo and then headed back home stopping in Austin along the way so the girls could see the capital building. It was still raining, so we did not get out.
Thank you everyone for your prayers, thoughts and advise this past year. I am thinking of names to change the blog to, I would love any suggestions or thoughts - I haven't thought of anything that sticks really. Our family is kind-of crazy, I want it to remain about adoption and children in foster care because that's the heart of our family. One of my daughters has RAD, PTSD, ADHD, mood disorder (bi-polar), etc. and then Rebecca has Ushers Syndrome. We have a challenging family and try to face each day with dignity and faith. Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks again!! SHE'S ADOPTED!!!
Tuesday, August 19
Monday, August 11
Court Decision
Thanks to everyone for your support and great advice. I contacted the lawyer and explained to them again in great detail (thank you NAD) about Rebecca's rights and why I would feel better with a certified interpreter. I told them that I understand that finding an interpreter is difficult and I appreciate their efforts in finding someone to interpret for court, however I would like the best for my daughter as I am sure that they would want the same for theirs.
They mentioned that they didn't think that having a certified interpreter was crutial because Rebecca was not a sworn in witness to the case (I think those were the words that she used). I explained that it didn't matter if she was only in the audience, they would still need to provide an interpreter.
I told them that I wanted to expediate this adoption, Rebecca has waited long enough and I didn't to prolong it anymore. I want them to continue to look for a certified interperpreter, but if the CASA volunteer was all that they could find I would accept that so that we could complete the adoption. They later called back and said that they found a court level interperpreter and would know if she would be available on Friday tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed.
I think I got the point across to the lawyer and the court. I think the next time that a Deaf individual comes into their courtroom they will know the law better and that person will not have to go through the hassle that I just when through.
They mentioned that they didn't think that having a certified interpreter was crutial because Rebecca was not a sworn in witness to the case (I think those were the words that she used). I explained that it didn't matter if she was only in the audience, they would still need to provide an interpreter.
I told them that I wanted to expediate this adoption, Rebecca has waited long enough and I didn't to prolong it anymore. I want them to continue to look for a certified interperpreter, but if the CASA volunteer was all that they could find I would accept that so that we could complete the adoption. They later called back and said that they found a court level interperpreter and would know if she would be available on Friday tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed.
I think I got the point across to the lawyer and the court. I think the next time that a Deaf individual comes into their courtroom they will know the law better and that person will not have to go through the hassle that I just when through.
Saturday, August 9
When Is It Too Much?
I found out more about the interpreter that will be present at our court hearing. He is a CASA volunteer. He is certified, but not up to a level 3. I had several conversations with our attorney about this and CPS. I have told them Rebecca's rights and what we expect. I almost lost our attorney because she is so frustrated with our case, partly me and partly my private agency. They don't know if they can find someone by the 15th who is level 3 (or higher) or court certified before the 15th or if that person can make it on the 15th. At several points, I felt like I was fighting a losing battle and that we were going to lose our attorney and/or lose our court date.
When does advocating become not worth it and should I just accept the CASA volunteer. He is probably very good, he has a full time job and his wife is a Deaf Ed teacher. He has been in the Deaf community for over 15 years. I started to feel like I was just pushing too hard and they were going to have to put off the court date for another month, which would be after school starts which is what we have been trying to avoid all summer. It would also be heartbreaking to Rebecca if we lost the court date. We have a countdown in our house and she is really looking forward to next Friday. How important is it that we have a "legally correct" interpreter?
When does advocating become not worth it and should I just accept the CASA volunteer. He is probably very good, he has a full time job and his wife is a Deaf Ed teacher. He has been in the Deaf community for over 15 years. I started to feel like I was just pushing too hard and they were going to have to put off the court date for another month, which would be after school starts which is what we have been trying to avoid all summer. It would also be heartbreaking to Rebecca if we lost the court date. We have a countdown in our house and she is really looking forward to next Friday. How important is it that we have a "legally correct" interpreter?
Tuesday, August 5
Court Date
We have our court date and they found an interpreter! Hallelujah! We will be traveling to East Texas on the 14th and will be in court on the 15th at 10am! We are so happy and excited. The girls can barely sleep tonight. Just 10 more days and she will be ours forever!
Saturday, August 2
Legal Rights For Court
I am about to confront, once again, the right for Rebecca to have an interpreter. Since, this appears to be a common thing (at least I find it to be) I will start blogging about how I fight this unjust and cruel world that we live in.
When I reminded Rebecca's attorney that Rebecca is Deaf and will need an interpreter, I got the same reaction that I seem to get a lot : "Can't you interpret?" I HATE THAT QUESTION!! I feel like if I say no, then they think, "How do you communicate with her then?" and if I say yes, then they are missing the point. I stopped answering yes or now and just advise them of her rights. Some people are persistant, but you have to be persistant back. Her attorney told me that sometimes I will have to be both the parent and the interpreter - like I didn't know this. I find myself in the interpreter role all the time, but not for court! I will not interpret for court!!! This is our families day and we all have the right to enjoy it together!!! URG!! Anyway, jumping down from my soapbox...here is what I will be sending the attorney and the court in East Texas to help me travel down this road...God help us!
State and Local Courts
To refer others to this page, please use:http://www.nad.org/statelocalcourts
People who are deaf or hard of hearing have a right to communicate effectively and to participate in proceedings and activities conducted by all state and local courts. Specifically, they are entitled to have courts provide and pay for auxiliary aids and services to enable them to understand and be understood. This right is based on a federal law, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 42 U.S.C. §§ 12131-12134. The U.S. Department of Justice has issued regulations explaining the requirements of the ADA. 28 C.F.R. Part 35, 56 Fed. Reg. 35694 (July 26, 1991) (U.S. Department of Justice Final Rule: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services).
The ADA protects all persons participating in court activities, including litigants, witnesses, jurors, spectators, and attorneys. It applies to any type of court proceeding in any type of state or local court, including civil, criminal, traffic, small claims, domestic relations, juvenile, and other specialized courts. It also applies to other activities conducted by court systems, such as personnel, educational activities, marriage ceremonies performed by court personnel or magistrates, and communication with clerks and other court personnel. This law also protects deaf or hard of hearing parents of minor children who are involved in court proceedings. Parents of a minor who is the subject of a juvenile proceeding are clearly “participants” in the proceeding even though the parents are not parties or witnesses. They are entitled to auxiliary aids and services, such as qualified interpreter services, during the proceeding. Furthermore, the ADA applies to “members of the public.” Therefore, deaf or hard of hearing spectators who are neither parties nor witnesses may request auxiliary aids and services, such as qualified interpreter services, from a court.
Under the ADA and its regulations, local and state courts are required to provide auxiliary aids and services to ensure effective communication with deaf and hard of hearing individuals in civil, as well as criminal, proceedings:
(a) A public entity shall take appropriate steps to ensure that communications with applicants, participants, and members of the public with disabilities are as effective as communications with others.
(b)(1) A public entity shall furnish appropriate auxiliary aids and services where necessary to afford an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to participate in, and enjoy the benefits of, a service, program, or activity conducted by a public entity.
(2) In determining what type of auxiliary aid and service is necessary, a public entity shall give primary consideration to the requests of the individual with disabilities.
28 C.F.R. § 35.160 (emphasis added).
The U.S. Department of Justice regulation defines the term “auxiliary aids and services” for deaf and hard of hearing individuals to include qualified interpreters, transcription services, captioning, videotext displays, written materials, assistive listening devices and systems, or other effective methods of making aurally delivered materials accessible. 28 C.F.R. § 35.104. For deaf or hard of hearing individuals who use sign language, the most effective auxiliary aid or service which a court can provide is usually the service of qualified sign language interpreters, trained in legal procedure and terminology. For deaf or hard of hearing individuals who do not use sign language and who have good levels of reading comprehension, the appropriate auxiliary aid or service is usually the use of a system that provides computer assisted real time transcription (also called real time captioning, communication access real time translation, or CART). Through this system, spoken words are converted into text using a stenotype machine, computer, and special software. The text appears on a computer monitor or other display, which can be read by the deaf or hard of hearing person. In its Analysis of the regulation, the Department of Justice uses “computer-assisted transcripts” as an example of an auxiliary aid or service that might be effective in a courtroom for a person who is deaf or hard of hearing who uses speech to communicate. 56 Fed. Reg. 35712. For some deaf or hard of hearing individuals who do not use sign language, an oral interpreter may be needed to facilitate lipreading. For individuals who use hearing aids or who have cochlear implants, the appropriate auxiliary aid might be amplified or modified sound equipment, a courtroom with appropriate acoustic properties, and/or assistive listening systems. The appropriate auxiliary aid or service depends on many factors. Any time it becomes apparent that a person cannot hear effectively in a courtroom, court officers should confer with that individual to determine the appropriate auxiliary aids or services necessary to communicate effectively with that individual.
Some state courts still have laws that permit state judges to assess the cost of auxiliary aids or services, such as qualified interpreter services, as “court costs.” These state laws violate the ADA. The ADA regulation states that the individual with a disability cannot be charged for the auxiliary aid or service provided by a state or local court:
A public entity may not place a surcharge on a particular individual with a disability . . . to cover the costs of measures, such as the provision of auxiliary aids or program accessibility, that are required to provide that individual . . . with the nondiscriminatory treatment required by the Act or this part.
28 C.F.R. § 35.130(f). In its Analysis to the ADA regulations, the Department of Justice explicitly addressed the issue of court costs:
The Department [of Justice] has already recognized that imposition of the cost of courtroom interpreter services is impermissible under section 504 [of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.] . . . (45 Fed. Reg. 37630, June 3, 1980). Accordingly, recouping the costs of interpreter services by assessing them as part of court costs would also be prohibited.
56 Fed. Reg. 35705-06 (July 21, 1991). Therefore, states may not enforce laws which permit qualified sign language interpreter fees to be assessed as “costs.”
Courts are also required to make “reasonable modifications” in their policies, practices and procedures, when necessary to prevent discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, a court might be required to move a trial to a smaller courtroom with better acoustics to assist a participant who uses a hearing aid. A trial may need to be interrupted more frequently to permit a deaf criminal defendant to consult privately with his or her attorney, because the sign language communication will be visible to witnesses and opponents. Court personnel should develop a method of notifying a deaf or hard of hearing person that a case is being called, because that person may not hear a spoken announcement. Similarly, videos that introduce jurors or parties to court procedure should be captioned.
In conclusion, court systems are not accessible to deaf or hard of hearing individuals when they cannot understand or participate effectively in the proceedings. In recognition of this fact, the federal government has placed an obligation on state and local courts to modify their procedures and to provide auxiliary aids and services, such as qualified interpreter and computer assisted real time transcription services, at no cost to the deaf or hard of hearing individual.
When I reminded Rebecca's attorney that Rebecca is Deaf and will need an interpreter, I got the same reaction that I seem to get a lot : "Can't you interpret?" I HATE THAT QUESTION!! I feel like if I say no, then they think, "How do you communicate with her then?" and if I say yes, then they are missing the point. I stopped answering yes or now and just advise them of her rights. Some people are persistant, but you have to be persistant back. Her attorney told me that sometimes I will have to be both the parent and the interpreter - like I didn't know this. I find myself in the interpreter role all the time, but not for court! I will not interpret for court!!! This is our families day and we all have the right to enjoy it together!!! URG!! Anyway, jumping down from my soapbox...here is what I will be sending the attorney and the court in East Texas to help me travel down this road...God help us!
State and Local Courts
To refer others to this page, please use:http://www.nad.org/statelocalcourts
People who are deaf or hard of hearing have a right to communicate effectively and to participate in proceedings and activities conducted by all state and local courts. Specifically, they are entitled to have courts provide and pay for auxiliary aids and services to enable them to understand and be understood. This right is based on a federal law, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 42 U.S.C. §§ 12131-12134. The U.S. Department of Justice has issued regulations explaining the requirements of the ADA. 28 C.F.R. Part 35, 56 Fed. Reg. 35694 (July 26, 1991) (U.S. Department of Justice Final Rule: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services).
The ADA protects all persons participating in court activities, including litigants, witnesses, jurors, spectators, and attorneys. It applies to any type of court proceeding in any type of state or local court, including civil, criminal, traffic, small claims, domestic relations, juvenile, and other specialized courts. It also applies to other activities conducted by court systems, such as personnel, educational activities, marriage ceremonies performed by court personnel or magistrates, and communication with clerks and other court personnel. This law also protects deaf or hard of hearing parents of minor children who are involved in court proceedings. Parents of a minor who is the subject of a juvenile proceeding are clearly “participants” in the proceeding even though the parents are not parties or witnesses. They are entitled to auxiliary aids and services, such as qualified interpreter services, during the proceeding. Furthermore, the ADA applies to “members of the public.” Therefore, deaf or hard of hearing spectators who are neither parties nor witnesses may request auxiliary aids and services, such as qualified interpreter services, from a court.
Under the ADA and its regulations, local and state courts are required to provide auxiliary aids and services to ensure effective communication with deaf and hard of hearing individuals in civil, as well as criminal, proceedings:
(a) A public entity shall take appropriate steps to ensure that communications with applicants, participants, and members of the public with disabilities are as effective as communications with others.
(b)(1) A public entity shall furnish appropriate auxiliary aids and services where necessary to afford an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to participate in, and enjoy the benefits of, a service, program, or activity conducted by a public entity.
(2) In determining what type of auxiliary aid and service is necessary, a public entity shall give primary consideration to the requests of the individual with disabilities.
28 C.F.R. § 35.160 (emphasis added).
The U.S. Department of Justice regulation defines the term “auxiliary aids and services” for deaf and hard of hearing individuals to include qualified interpreters, transcription services, captioning, videotext displays, written materials, assistive listening devices and systems, or other effective methods of making aurally delivered materials accessible. 28 C.F.R. § 35.104. For deaf or hard of hearing individuals who use sign language, the most effective auxiliary aid or service which a court can provide is usually the service of qualified sign language interpreters, trained in legal procedure and terminology. For deaf or hard of hearing individuals who do not use sign language and who have good levels of reading comprehension, the appropriate auxiliary aid or service is usually the use of a system that provides computer assisted real time transcription (also called real time captioning, communication access real time translation, or CART). Through this system, spoken words are converted into text using a stenotype machine, computer, and special software. The text appears on a computer monitor or other display, which can be read by the deaf or hard of hearing person. In its Analysis of the regulation, the Department of Justice uses “computer-assisted transcripts” as an example of an auxiliary aid or service that might be effective in a courtroom for a person who is deaf or hard of hearing who uses speech to communicate. 56 Fed. Reg. 35712. For some deaf or hard of hearing individuals who do not use sign language, an oral interpreter may be needed to facilitate lipreading. For individuals who use hearing aids or who have cochlear implants, the appropriate auxiliary aid might be amplified or modified sound equipment, a courtroom with appropriate acoustic properties, and/or assistive listening systems. The appropriate auxiliary aid or service depends on many factors. Any time it becomes apparent that a person cannot hear effectively in a courtroom, court officers should confer with that individual to determine the appropriate auxiliary aids or services necessary to communicate effectively with that individual.
Some state courts still have laws that permit state judges to assess the cost of auxiliary aids or services, such as qualified interpreter services, as “court costs.” These state laws violate the ADA. The ADA regulation states that the individual with a disability cannot be charged for the auxiliary aid or service provided by a state or local court:
A public entity may not place a surcharge on a particular individual with a disability . . . to cover the costs of measures, such as the provision of auxiliary aids or program accessibility, that are required to provide that individual . . . with the nondiscriminatory treatment required by the Act or this part.
28 C.F.R. § 35.130(f). In its Analysis to the ADA regulations, the Department of Justice explicitly addressed the issue of court costs:
The Department [of Justice] has already recognized that imposition of the cost of courtroom interpreter services is impermissible under section 504 [of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.] . . . (45 Fed. Reg. 37630, June 3, 1980). Accordingly, recouping the costs of interpreter services by assessing them as part of court costs would also be prohibited.
56 Fed. Reg. 35705-06 (July 21, 1991). Therefore, states may not enforce laws which permit qualified sign language interpreter fees to be assessed as “costs.”
Courts are also required to make “reasonable modifications” in their policies, practices and procedures, when necessary to prevent discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, a court might be required to move a trial to a smaller courtroom with better acoustics to assist a participant who uses a hearing aid. A trial may need to be interrupted more frequently to permit a deaf criminal defendant to consult privately with his or her attorney, because the sign language communication will be visible to witnesses and opponents. Court personnel should develop a method of notifying a deaf or hard of hearing person that a case is being called, because that person may not hear a spoken announcement. Similarly, videos that introduce jurors or parties to court procedure should be captioned.
In conclusion, court systems are not accessible to deaf or hard of hearing individuals when they cannot understand or participate effectively in the proceedings. In recognition of this fact, the federal government has placed an obligation on state and local courts to modify their procedures and to provide auxiliary aids and services, such as qualified interpreter and computer assisted real time transcription services, at no cost to the deaf or hard of hearing individual.
Thursday, July 31
We Just Signed Adoption Papers!
Rebecca is now adoptively placed in our home and now we wait on our court date. I have requested an interpreter for court, we will see if I have to play the same song and dance again. It has been a long road for our little girl (who's not so little) and I'm so excited she's about to embark on a new journey and start her life!
Thank you everyone for your thoughts, prayers and great advise. I now have to decide what I want to do with this blog, do I continue with ushersmom and just change the title or am I finished? I think there are so many decisions that I have loved discussing with you guys, it would be hard for me to give it up. I never would have thought that over 5,000 people would be interested in our little story. It has allowed me to meet incredible people and not just live in our community by our communities advise.
Thank you again! The court date could be in as little as 2 weeks. If anyone knows an interpreter in East Texas, I would love to get their information.
Thank you everyone for your thoughts, prayers and great advise. I now have to decide what I want to do with this blog, do I continue with ushersmom and just change the title or am I finished? I think there are so many decisions that I have loved discussing with you guys, it would be hard for me to give it up. I never would have thought that over 5,000 people would be interested in our little story. It has allowed me to meet incredible people and not just live in our community by our communities advise.
Thank you again! The court date could be in as little as 2 weeks. If anyone knows an interpreter in East Texas, I would love to get their information.
Tuesday, July 29
Mainstream or Deaf Ed
Why is it such an accomplishment for children to be mainstreamed, but when you tell someone that your child is in Deaf Ed is it looked at with pity? Why is there this push to mainstream?
Thursday, July 24
Medicaid Pays For Interpreters
That's what happened in our case. Since the state is legally the parent of Rebecca right now, I fought Medicaid and won! They are paying for an interpreter for her psych evaluation on Monday. I never thought about Medicaid providing the interpreter, so thank you Joyce for putting that bug in my ear. Now, we are one step closer to finishing up this adoption.
Sunday, July 20
The funny thing about blogging is...
One of the coolest things to me about blogging is all the cool people that you get to meet. We are all attached in a very unique way. I love reading other blogs and really feel connected to some of the people that I have met along the way. October will be one year since I started this blog and I only started reading blogs a little before that. On blog that really inspired me was Ashley's Mom and now it looks like I have inspired her (what a wierd twist).
She interviewed me for this really cool website called 5 minutes for special needs . It's a great website to link up with other parents who are going to some of the same things that we parents can only relate to.
My interview was posted today at http://www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com/91/91/ if you would like to take a moment to learn more about how we got in this mess :)
She interviewed me for this really cool website called 5 minutes for special needs . It's a great website to link up with other parents who are going to some of the same things that we parents can only relate to.
My interview was posted today at http://www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com/91/91/ if you would like to take a moment to learn more about how we got in this mess :)
Tuesday, July 15
Who's To Advocate??
Yesterday I just kept hitting walls. Do you ever have days like that? I called Rebecca's CPS caseworker back to set up the date for us to finalize the papers at the end of the month. She informed me that we need to get a psychiatric evaluation done on Rebecca before we can sign papers. We are only 2 weeks away from signing papers!! Okay, so I called the doctor who did my other daughters evaluation and has seen all the kids in our agency, so I know that he has seen Rebecca at some point and left a message for him to call me back. In the message I reminded him that Rebecca is Deaf and we will need an interpreter for her. I tell him that if he needs help finding an interpreter I have no problem helping with that, I do realize it is short notice but CPS is requiring this prior to the adoption at the end of the month.
I get a call back from our agency's caseworker asking why do we need an interpreter if she has a cochlear implant?
After I calmed myself down, I talked to CPS directly and our caseworker about this. Why wouldn't you give her everything that she needs so that she can understand as much as she can? I compared it for them to a child in a wheelchair that you are asking to go across the room. Sure, that child will eventually get across the room without her wheelchair, but whey wouldn't you give give the child the wheelchair in the 1st place??
The agency told me that they were going to try to get the psych deferred. My question back to them was, "Are you getting it deferred because you don't want to deal with my Deaf child and the interpreter or are you wanting it deferred because she is doing well in our home and there is no reason for an evaluation?" She didn't answer me.
What I guess frustrates me the most about this is that our agency is supposed to be advocating for Rebecca - how were they doing that??? Is throwing her in a room without an interpreter and thinking that is okay when the outcome of that evaluation depends on if she gets adopted advocating for your children???
Let me say this as plain as I can - MY CHILD WITH A COCHEAR IMPLANT IS NOT A HEARING CHILD!!!
I get a call back from our agency's caseworker asking why do we need an interpreter if she has a cochlear implant?
After I calmed myself down, I talked to CPS directly and our caseworker about this. Why wouldn't you give her everything that she needs so that she can understand as much as she can? I compared it for them to a child in a wheelchair that you are asking to go across the room. Sure, that child will eventually get across the room without her wheelchair, but whey wouldn't you give give the child the wheelchair in the 1st place??
The agency told me that they were going to try to get the psych deferred. My question back to them was, "Are you getting it deferred because you don't want to deal with my Deaf child and the interpreter or are you wanting it deferred because she is doing well in our home and there is no reason for an evaluation?" She didn't answer me.
What I guess frustrates me the most about this is that our agency is supposed to be advocating for Rebecca - how were they doing that??? Is throwing her in a room without an interpreter and thinking that is okay when the outcome of that evaluation depends on if she gets adopted advocating for your children???
Let me say this as plain as I can - MY CHILD WITH A COCHEAR IMPLANT IS NOT A HEARING CHILD!!!
Saturday, July 12
6th & Final Day At SEE Conference
Yesterday was a sad day. The conference has ended and now I am out on my own again. On our breaks and at lunch I had lunch with 2 ladies who will/and will be interpreting for my daughter at her school. They are both ASL interpreters and I learned so much from them. There are things with SEE that drive me batty and do no make sense to me. That's why in our house we are not pure SEE, we mix things up a bit. Compound words in SEE make me insane. Some of the compound words like SomeTimes are just one sign even though in SEE you would pointless as 2 signs : point and then less. Seems to me that sometimes should be the same : some and then times, but it's not sometimes has the same ASL sign as sometimes and is not broken down. There are many examples of this and it makes it really confusing to me to know which one is correct. When in doubt if I know the ASL sign I use the ASL sign in our house. The next time I get a chance I look it up and sometimes :) it is the ASL sign, but others it follows the compound word rule. I then tell my daughter the next time I use that word that she may also see "word + word" for that. I hope that made sense. It's really difficult to describe a language in type.
We did great on our Footloose song. I survived!! It is a really fast song when you are signing every word and every suffix. Get me off of my knees. For example : Get is got with a past tense marker and knees has an s at the end. C'mon C'mon let's go...let's is with an apostrophe s so it is an "s" that is turned in and then go. My hands and wrists got a good workout.
I'm sad that the convention is over. I learned about 200 new signs in a week. Where else can I do that? If you would liek to know if there is a SEE convention in your neighborhood visit http://www.seecenter.org/skil_shp.htm
As a side note, I think that as a parent of a Deaf child you cannot just have 1 language that you are teaching your children. There are many signing systems and I want to expose myself and my child to as much as I can. SEE and ASL are the two prominate signing methods in our area. We also see signed engish, CASE and occasionally Rochester method. I would like to be profecient and learn as much as I can about sign language, NOT just SEE, NOT just ASL - but any and all sign language.
The reason I took the week off of work and went to the SEE conference is because it is what is being taught at my daughters school. If ASL were being taught I would have attended an ASL conference. Please do not bash me for wanting to better my skills in any language. We need to be flexible and understand that in this world my daughter is not just going to encounter ASL or just SEE - I do not want her to be ignorant or think that only 1 way is the right way! My goal is for us to be able to communicate with each other and with others. If that means that I need to learn 4 or 5 methods - I'm willing to do that. Right now, I feel like it is most important to give her language so that she can be caught up with her classmates. How can we do that quickly???? I think the answer is by signing what they are signing to her at school and that means that I learn SEE and sign as much SEE at home as I can so that she understands what is being signed to her at school.
Do not judge me because I sign SEE. I also know some ASL and will learn more and more as time goes on, but for now SEE is what we are using with some ASL flavors thrown in. SEE is not always conceptual and ASL sometimes clarifies what I mean. ASL is a beautiful language and I know that one day I will also sign ASL. I will not keep Rebecca from ASL, it is definately something that she needs, but SEE serves a great purpose as well.
We did great on our Footloose song. I survived!! It is a really fast song when you are signing every word and every suffix. Get me off of my knees. For example : Get is got with a past tense marker and knees has an s at the end. C'mon C'mon let's go...let's is with an apostrophe s so it is an "s" that is turned in and then go. My hands and wrists got a good workout.
I'm sad that the convention is over. I learned about 200 new signs in a week. Where else can I do that? If you would liek to know if there is a SEE convention in your neighborhood visit http://www.seecenter.org/skil_shp.htm
As a side note, I think that as a parent of a Deaf child you cannot just have 1 language that you are teaching your children. There are many signing systems and I want to expose myself and my child to as much as I can. SEE and ASL are the two prominate signing methods in our area. We also see signed engish, CASE and occasionally Rochester method. I would like to be profecient and learn as much as I can about sign language, NOT just SEE, NOT just ASL - but any and all sign language.
The reason I took the week off of work and went to the SEE conference is because it is what is being taught at my daughters school. If ASL were being taught I would have attended an ASL conference. Please do not bash me for wanting to better my skills in any language. We need to be flexible and understand that in this world my daughter is not just going to encounter ASL or just SEE - I do not want her to be ignorant or think that only 1 way is the right way! My goal is for us to be able to communicate with each other and with others. If that means that I need to learn 4 or 5 methods - I'm willing to do that. Right now, I feel like it is most important to give her language so that she can be caught up with her classmates. How can we do that quickly???? I think the answer is by signing what they are signing to her at school and that means that I learn SEE and sign as much SEE at home as I can so that she understands what is being signed to her at school.
Do not judge me because I sign SEE. I also know some ASL and will learn more and more as time goes on, but for now SEE is what we are using with some ASL flavors thrown in. SEE is not always conceptual and ASL sometimes clarifies what I mean. ASL is a beautiful language and I know that one day I will also sign ASL. I will not keep Rebecca from ASL, it is definately something that she needs, but SEE serves a great purpose as well.
Thursday, July 10
5th Day At SEE Conference
Today we spent over 1/2 the day (until around 2:00) without any voices. We had to order lunch and everything without voices. I went with 2 interpreters and they choose a place that did not have combo numbers. We went to Taco Cabana. We found a catering menu and they used that to help them order, but for some reason quesadillas (Rebecca calls them chees triangles) was not on that menu. I had to say 4th picture on the top and the guy was not getting it. It was difficult. I finally got what I wanted and we sat down to lunch. Both of the interpreters are originally ASL interpreters so this was a great opportunity for me to learn some ASL differences. It was fabulous! I'm still not going to switch to ASL right now, but it was great to see it more. I had them tell me a story in ASL and then in SEE so that I could visually see the difference.
Tonight was the banquet and that was fabulous! Rebecca's batteries died when she got to the hotel and I normally have extra batteries in my purse, but I have not been carrying my purse to the conference so I had no batteries. It was absolutely fine and as I have said before I think that she pays more attention without her implant. Everyone was signing there so it was easy for her to communicate and I really appreciated not having to interpret for everyone because everyone there could sign at some level.
We won a poster that has the pledge of allegiance on it which is great because that is something that Rebecca needs to improve on. I also got another suffix/affix book. I gave this one to Rebecca because she absolutely loves mine. She likes looking through it to see human turn into humans, humane, inhumane, superhuman, etc.
Tomorrow is the last day :(
Tonight was the banquet and that was fabulous! Rebecca's batteries died when she got to the hotel and I normally have extra batteries in my purse, but I have not been carrying my purse to the conference so I had no batteries. It was absolutely fine and as I have said before I think that she pays more attention without her implant. Everyone was signing there so it was easy for her to communicate and I really appreciated not having to interpret for everyone because everyone there could sign at some level.
We won a poster that has the pledge of allegiance on it which is great because that is something that Rebecca needs to improve on. I also got another suffix/affix book. I gave this one to Rebecca because she absolutely loves mine. She likes looking through it to see human turn into humans, humane, inhumane, superhuman, etc.
Tomorrow is the last day :(
Wednesday, July 9
4th Day At SEE Conference
Okay, today I have a headache. My head hurts from all the things that we packed in today. We have 3 instructors for our level which is awesome because we get to see how each one signs differently. I'm finding it extremely useful just seeing the other peoples hands when they sign and seeing their "accents". I am so used to seeing the same ol' people sign to me and it is great to see new hands! It has been very beneficial to me. I try to watch vlogs every once in a while just to see other people sign. It's amazing to me how a sign can look entirely different on someone elses hands. But, I guess we also have several accents as hearing people. If I go to Boston, I do not understand what they are saying for a little bit. It's the same with signing. Today we worked a lot on prefixes and suffixes. This is an area I am weak in because I normally one sign the suffix if it is an -ing or an -s and only if I did not already repeat the sign because it was plural (which is not TRUE SEE and I know that).
Today I had lunch with Rebecca's teacher and one of my interpreter friends who is one of the interpreters at our church. These people are very near and dear to me and I am very greatful that God has put these people in my families lives. I could not be more blessed. They are great Christian women who are wonderful with children, but also don't "pity" their deaf children. I love that because that is one of my pet peeves since having my children. Don't pity my children because they were in foster care or because one is Deaf - you can understand it without pitying them. Does that make sense? They do have different needs and you can provide for those needs without pitying them. Make them rise to the occasion and that is what these 2 wonderful women do with their children and I appreciate it so much!
I don't think that I announced this since school has been out, but when school got out Rebecca was tested to be reading 2nd grade level books! This was huge because when Rebecca was placed with us she was still on a pre-k level. I'm really excited about how much she is improving!
Tomorrow night is the banquet, so I may not get around to blogging but I will write about it when I get a chance. Good night!
Today I had lunch with Rebecca's teacher and one of my interpreter friends who is one of the interpreters at our church. These people are very near and dear to me and I am very greatful that God has put these people in my families lives. I could not be more blessed. They are great Christian women who are wonderful with children, but also don't "pity" their deaf children. I love that because that is one of my pet peeves since having my children. Don't pity my children because they were in foster care or because one is Deaf - you can understand it without pitying them. Does that make sense? They do have different needs and you can provide for those needs without pitying them. Make them rise to the occasion and that is what these 2 wonderful women do with their children and I appreciate it so much!
I don't think that I announced this since school has been out, but when school got out Rebecca was tested to be reading 2nd grade level books! This was huge because when Rebecca was placed with us she was still on a pre-k level. I'm really excited about how much she is improving!
Tomorrow night is the banquet, so I may not get around to blogging but I will write about it when I get a chance. Good night!
3rd Day At SEE Conference
Great day! Don't get me wrong, my head is still exploding from all the knowledge but I'm enjoying it. I had lunch with 2 of Rebecca's interpreters from the past and that was great! We got the words to the song that we will preform on Thursday night - Footloose. That's a fast song. Anyway, hopefully I will have more to say about day 4. See ya then!
Monday, July 7
2nd Day At SEE Conference
Okay, so I decided to go back for more. Today was definately a full day of mind-blowing signing. I actually did the best at fingerspelling which I feel is my weakest area so if that is giving you a clue as to how the rest of my day went. I learned today that a lot of the people that are in my class are actually ASL signers who are learning SEE. What I learned from them was that a lot of my signs are ASL which is fine because SEE is based on ASL so it fits in there somewhere. I am so grateful to be in this class because when I sign something that is not the correct SEE sign, someone tells me, "That's okay in ASL" and I feel better. I am not totally clueless, but I am really messed up in my SEE signing.
I have shared my story a lot with the people who have asked and that has made several other people come up to me and ask. I actually learned that Rebecca's VI assistant (I had only met the VI intructor herself) is taking the SEE classes so that he can communicate with Rebecca better and not have to have an interpreter follow him around. I think that is just awesome of him! There are such incredible people at this conference, I feel honored to be there.
We also got our song that we will perform on Thursday night (start praying now). It will be Footloose! Do you know how fast that song is? Okay, just checking...continue praying for us. I will be back for another day of torture ;) tomorrow.
I have shared my story a lot with the people who have asked and that has made several other people come up to me and ask. I actually learned that Rebecca's VI assistant (I had only met the VI intructor herself) is taking the SEE classes so that he can communicate with Rebecca better and not have to have an interpreter follow him around. I think that is just awesome of him! There are such incredible people at this conference, I feel honored to be there.
We also got our song that we will perform on Thursday night (start praying now). It will be Footloose! Do you know how fast that song is? Okay, just checking...continue praying for us. I will be back for another day of torture ;) tomorrow.
Sunday, July 6
1st Day At SEE Conference
Tonight was the first night of the SEE conference and then tomorrow it is early in the morning and all day long. Tonight we were evaluated to see what class we would be assigned. I filled out the sheet that asks why are you hear "mother of Deaf child" and how long have you been signing "since Octoberish". I hand the paper to the lady and she asks how old my daughter is and I start signing back to her that she is 10, we are adopting her etc. She looks down at the paper and then back at me and says - you've only been signing since October. I reply yes and she tells me to stand over there and they will get back with me on what class I should be in. Technically, since I have only been signing for less than a year I should be in a beginners class, but she says I do not belong in a beginners class. So, I am put in a classroom with 32 other people and we are evaluated further. The first assignment we are broken up into groups of 3 and asked to tell out ourselves. The first person goes and she's an interpreter - ok....the second person goes and she's an interpreter - feeling nervous. It is my turn and I'm only a mother - no interpreter. We are then broken up into groups of 11 and are told again to tell our story. Interpreter, interpreter, interpreter, speech pathologist, interpreter, itenerant, interpreter...etc. Once again, me just mom!
Am I in the right class??? My signing in my opinion is not that great. It's okay and I have continued working on it for 7 months but it is definately not at an interpreters level. They give us a large workbook and most of it is about interpreting in the classroom and interpreters responsibilies, etc. OH MY GOSH - I am so overwhelmed! The people teaching these classes are linguist with PHDs and masters in this and in that! Again, I am just a mom. I am only taking these classes so that I can better help my child with her homework and building her language skills.
Anyway, I will try to post again tomorrow on how day 2 goes if my head has not exploded!
Am I in the right class??? My signing in my opinion is not that great. It's okay and I have continued working on it for 7 months but it is definately not at an interpreters level. They give us a large workbook and most of it is about interpreting in the classroom and interpreters responsibilies, etc. OH MY GOSH - I am so overwhelmed! The people teaching these classes are linguist with PHDs and masters in this and in that! Again, I am just a mom. I am only taking these classes so that I can better help my child with her homework and building her language skills.
Anyway, I will try to post again tomorrow on how day 2 goes if my head has not exploded!
Thursday, July 3
Crazy Summer Days
Hard to believe it has been a month since I have written anything on here. Where did the time go? We have been so busy -- Rebecca got her hearing aid and loves it! She shows it off all of the time.
We are still working on the adoption which is now in full swing, we will sign papers at the end of this month and then consumate in August. We have received all of her records from FPS and are going through them now. We are working on our subsidy papers and filling out the paperwork for our attorney.
Next week, I will be attending the SEE conference in Dallas. I have also been having private tutoring from one of my Deaf friends who is working with me on my signing in the Deaf community. It has been difficult because for Rebecca I need to use SEE because her school uses SEE and so it is necessary that for now she learns SEE. I also recognize that SEE is not the most popular in the Deaf community, so my friend is helping me with that. So, I am learning 2 ways to sign right now and my head has been spinning.
Summertime is in full swing at our home and we are bustling with activity. Camp is coming up at the end of this month, but they still have not found an interpreter for Rebecca - so please pray for that! It is a foster/adoptive camp which is incredible and I know that Rebecca would get a lot out of it! We are planning our annual trip to Sea World and right now we are overwhelmed with 4th of July activities. Both girls went to VBS last week and had a blast! They are in a summer program that is filling them with activities - so far they have went to a baseball game, skating, had a cooking class and next week they will go bowling.
So, if my blogs are a little sparatic I appologize. I will do my best to try to slow down and write something every once in a while.
We are still working on the adoption which is now in full swing, we will sign papers at the end of this month and then consumate in August. We have received all of her records from FPS and are going through them now. We are working on our subsidy papers and filling out the paperwork for our attorney.
Next week, I will be attending the SEE conference in Dallas. I have also been having private tutoring from one of my Deaf friends who is working with me on my signing in the Deaf community. It has been difficult because for Rebecca I need to use SEE because her school uses SEE and so it is necessary that for now she learns SEE. I also recognize that SEE is not the most popular in the Deaf community, so my friend is helping me with that. So, I am learning 2 ways to sign right now and my head has been spinning.
Summertime is in full swing at our home and we are bustling with activity. Camp is coming up at the end of this month, but they still have not found an interpreter for Rebecca - so please pray for that! It is a foster/adoptive camp which is incredible and I know that Rebecca would get a lot out of it! We are planning our annual trip to Sea World and right now we are overwhelmed with 4th of July activities. Both girls went to VBS last week and had a blast! They are in a summer program that is filling them with activities - so far they have went to a baseball game, skating, had a cooking class and next week they will go bowling.
So, if my blogs are a little sparatic I appologize. I will do my best to try to slow down and write something every once in a while.
Friday, June 6
Too Bad, So Sad
Today we were at the dentist and Rebecca signed, "Sad, Too Bad". I took me a few seconds, but she was trying to say, "too bad, so sad". I corrected her and laughed all day about it. If my hearing daughter had told me, "Too Bad, so sad Mom" I may have been offended, but it was music to my ears coming from Rebecca. She is 10, so this is a saying that should probably be a part of her language at this age and I am so proud of her!
Sunday, June 1
New Found Independence
We got our Video Phone installed. Prior to the video phone I was interpreting with the phone on speaker and then revoicing for Rebecca if the other party did not understand her. Rebecca is 10, I know that soon she will not want me to hear every conversation that she has and she shouldn't have to rely on me to be around to make a phone call. Since we have had the video phone she has made 5 or 6 phone calls. She has loved it!
We are hoping that it will also help improve her sign language since everytime it is a different person with different "accents". The interpreters have been awesome with her, they sign slower for her and normally make some small talk. When I get on, they sign really fast and I'm no where near that pace. I guess since they think that I have a 10 year old Deaf child, I should be a signing pro. It's embarrassing for me. I only got on a Relay call 1 time in the middle of a conversation that Rebecca was having. I look forward to communicating with my Deaf friends with it and talk to Rebecca's friends parents to arrange play dates.
We are still collecting phone numbers right now, but I look forward to the days when there are more calls without the relay operator than with the relay operator.
We are hoping that it will also help improve her sign language since everytime it is a different person with different "accents". The interpreters have been awesome with her, they sign slower for her and normally make some small talk. When I get on, they sign really fast and I'm no where near that pace. I guess since they think that I have a 10 year old Deaf child, I should be a signing pro. It's embarrassing for me. I only got on a Relay call 1 time in the middle of a conversation that Rebecca was having. I look forward to communicating with my Deaf friends with it and talk to Rebecca's friends parents to arrange play dates.
We are still collecting phone numbers right now, but I look forward to the days when there are more calls without the relay operator than with the relay operator.
Sunday, May 25
Deaf Children In Foster Care
This has been heavy on my heart & I hope it opens some eyes. We adopted a hearing child last summer and we are working on adopting our second child who is her Deaf sibling. The largest difference between these two children was with the caseworkers. After many years in foster care, Rebecca got her 1st caseworker who knew a little bit of sign with us. This broke my heart, not because of Rebecca but because of all of the other children in foster care. We have 2 caseworkers, our agency caseworker (who could sign a little) and then a CPS caseworker who knew no sign. We interpreted the conversations between the caseworkers and Rebecca.
This bothered me because we know that there are faults in our foster care system, that is one of the reasons we became foster parents. I was tired of complaining about it and not doing anything about it, so we became foster parents to try to change the lives of some of the children in the system. Many foster care children are being abused and that is why we have monthly visits from the caseworkers. They ask questions, like "how do you like living here" and "how do your parents act when you are in trouble" or "have your parents spanked you"? I'm fine with all of those questions and I'm glad that they ask those questions of my children. When we got Rebecca, those questions were dwindled down to "how do you like living here" and "are you happy here" which again, I am fine with but it got me thinking, "how would children answer that question honestly if there was abuse going on in the home?" Would they say to their parents interpreting, "Last night he came in my room and touched me??" NO! How are the Deaf children supposed to speak out for themselves when the parents are the interpreters and always have to be present??
I don't know how to make these changes, but I think that an interpreter needs to be provided or the caseworkers need to take an sign language class if they are assigned to a Deaf child. Something needs to be done. It breaks my heart to think that these children don't have the same opportunity to speak out for themselves as hearing children do.
This bothered me because we know that there are faults in our foster care system, that is one of the reasons we became foster parents. I was tired of complaining about it and not doing anything about it, so we became foster parents to try to change the lives of some of the children in the system. Many foster care children are being abused and that is why we have monthly visits from the caseworkers. They ask questions, like "how do you like living here" and "how do your parents act when you are in trouble" or "have your parents spanked you"? I'm fine with all of those questions and I'm glad that they ask those questions of my children. When we got Rebecca, those questions were dwindled down to "how do you like living here" and "are you happy here" which again, I am fine with but it got me thinking, "how would children answer that question honestly if there was abuse going on in the home?" Would they say to their parents interpreting, "Last night he came in my room and touched me??" NO! How are the Deaf children supposed to speak out for themselves when the parents are the interpreters and always have to be present??
I don't know how to make these changes, but I think that an interpreter needs to be provided or the caseworkers need to take an sign language class if they are assigned to a Deaf child. Something needs to be done. It breaks my heart to think that these children don't have the same opportunity to speak out for themselves as hearing children do.
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