Latino Deaf Students: An Overview

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Diversity in deaf education Defining the issues

Lesson One Barbara Gerner de García
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The need to focus on multicultural issues in
deaf education.

• The first step towards working with diverse deaf
  learners is recognizing those needs that are
  different from other deaf students.
• Some of their unique needs might be met through
  the adaptation of multicultural, bilingual and
  ESL methods used with diverse learners who are
  not d/hh.
• Teachers of the deaf need preparation and
  training to work with diverse students and their
  families.
• There is a need to increase the number of diverse
  teachers and staff.
• There is a need for more understanding of the
  issues through research.

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Goals of this course

• To meet some of these identified needs, this
  course will
• Provide an overview of the issues
• Discuss the different kinds of diverse d/hh
  students and how their needs differ from other
  d/hh learners.
• Describe multicultural education approaches for
  deaf education.
• Discuss resources for multicultural curriculum.
• Provide ideas for professional growth in meeting
  the needs of diverse d/hh students.

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Terminology

• Diverse deaf learners are those deaf and hard of
  hearing students who, in the past, we commonly
  referred to as minority students.
• However, as the number of people who are
  ethnically, racially, culturally, and
  linguistically diverse has increased rapidly in
  the last decade, some argue that the term
  minority no longer makes sense.

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Terminology

• Various terms are used to replace the term
  minority, including multicultural, and diverse.
  
• Phrases such as ethnically, racially,
  culturally, and linguistically diverse have come
  into use.
• Sometimes school systems, and teacher education
  programs use acronyms such as CLD culturally
  and linguistically diverse.
• In this course, I have chosen to use the term
  diverse to refer to deaf students who are
  African American, Latino/Hispanic, Native
  American, and Asian American/Pacific Islander.

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• Demographics of deaf education

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Demographics

• Forty three percent of K-12 students overall are
  minority (National Center for Education
  Statistics).
• Figures from the Gallaudet Research Institute
  2004-2005 Annual Survey of Deaf Children and
  Youth indicate that 49.3 of deaf and hard of
  hearing students are racially diverse.

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Demographics in deaf education
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Beyond the five groups

• Commonly, we categorize people in the U.S. as
  White, African American, Latino/ Hispanic, Asian
  American, or Native American.
• In this course, we will focus on racial,
  cultural, and ethnic diversity.
• D/HH students with additional disabilities will
  not be specifically addressed as a group.
• However, there are other groups of diverse
  students that may not be included in any of these
  five categories.

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Beyond the five groups

• In addition to racial, ethnic, and cultural
  diversity, we will consider
• Children of immigration (immigrants themselves or
  with immigrant parents),
• Students of Middle Eastern origin (they are
  usually considered White, and not racial
  minorities),
• Students from religious minorities.
• In many cases, these categories overlap (such as
  Muslim and Middle Eastern), but in others they
  dont (such as Muslim and American-born).

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According to the Census Bureau (2005) the US
population is as follows White American, 74.7,
or about 215.3 million (the definition of White
includes European Americans, North African
Americans, Middle Eastern Americans (e.g. Arab
Americans), Central Asians, and Hispanic
Americans who reported as White in the 2000
Census) Black or African American 12.1 or 34.9
million Asian American 4.3 or 12.5 million,
American Indian 0.8 or 2.4 million Native
Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 0.1 or 0.4
million. Some other race 6 or 17.3 million.Two
or more races 1.9 or 5.6 million. Hispanics, who
can be any race are 14.5.

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Teacher Diversity in Regular Ed Source Dr.
Mildred Hudson National Education Association,
2006
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Minority Teacher Shortage
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Teacher Diversity in Deaf Education

• Deaf and hearing minority professionals in K-16
  education (Andrews Jordan, 1993)
• 89.8 (3,899 hearing and 739 d/hh were White.
• 2 (89 hearing and 15 d/hh) were Latino
• 6.7 (306 hearing and 39 d/hh) were Black
• 1 (45 hearing and 9 d/hh) were Asian/Pacific
• .5 (22 hearing and 3 d/hh) were Other
  (including American Indian).
• These figures included administrators and
  teachers.

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Teacher diversity in deaf education 2004

• In survey of deaf education programs in 2004,
  Simms, Andrews, De Lana found
• A decrease in minority teachers from 10 in 1993
  to 9.5 in 2004.
• An increase in deaf-minority teachers from 1
  in 1993 to 2.4 in 2004.
• An increase in minorities working in residential
  schools from 8 to 11.
• A decrease in minorities employed in public
  schools from 12 in 1993 to 8 in 2004.

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• Being a Multicultural Educator

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All teachers can teach multiculturally

• It is important to have a diverse teaching force
  so that all students benefit from the diverse
  views, styles, and cultures of different
  teachers.
• It is critically important for children to
  realize that people like them (e.g.Deaf, African
  American, immigrants) grow up to become
  professionals, and equally important that
  children see diverse people in many different
  roles.
• Diverse teachers are role models not only for
  children like them, but children different from
  them.
• Majority group teachers (white, hearing) can
  model cultural competence, the ability to work
  effectively in multicultural settings.

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All teachers can teach multiculturally

• Ultimately, good teaching is not a function of
  the color of our skin. It is much more closely
  related to the temperament of our mind and the
  hue of our heart.
• A quote from Gary Howard, a white male, and
  author of We Cant Teach What We Dont Know
  White Teachers, Multiracial Schools.

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All teachers can teach multiculturally

• As teachers, we are each responsible for teaching
  all of our students.
• Gary Howard refers to transformationist white
  teachers (who) know it is our place and our
  responsibility to engage issues of race and
  multicultural education in the classroom.

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• Needs of diverse d/hh learners

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Academic Achievement

• Diverse students are not achieving as they
  should.
• The achievement levels of Latino and African
  American deaf children are lower than that of
  their Anglo deaf peers.
• Latino and African American deaf students drop
  out at higher rates.
• In 1993-94, 55 of minority deaf students left
  school with certificates rather than high school
  diplomas.
• Under No Child Left Behind, the concern over the
  achievement for d/hh students has grown.

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Learn about your diverse d/hh students

• An important principle in special education is
  the recognition that each childs needs are
  unique. With this in mind, it is critical to
  remember that each of your racially, ethnically,
  and culturally d/hh student has a unique
  background.
• Diverse d/hh students needs should be addressed
  on a case by case basis.
• There is more variation within cultural groups
  than there is across different groups.
• When learning about cultures different from your
  own, it is important to be conscious of avoiding
  stereotpying.
• Some of the basic information that you should
  have about each students is described on the
  following slide.

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Questions about your school

• What language(s) are used in your school
  (English, ASL, Signed English), and what other
  language resources are available?
• What resources are available for helping deaf/hh
  students who dont know English and ASL/Signed
  English learn the languages they need for school?
• How are d/hh students challenged academically?
• Are d/hh students appropriately placed?
• Low expectations for students of color may keep
  them from achieving at higher levels. Do you
  think diverse d/hh students are challenged enough
  in the classroom?

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Basic student information

• Intake evaluations gather background information
  on new students. Teachers should take note of the
  following information to enable you to be more
  culturally responsive
• Academic
• At what age did the student enter school?
• Could this student be considered underschooled
  (has she/he missed several years of school) ?
• Where, and when? How much is known about the
  students previous education?
• If the school was in another country, are there
  any records?

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Basic student information

• Family information
• Where does the family live?
• Do they have a car?
• Is the neighborhood accessible to public
  transportation?
• What services and resources are available?
• What are the home languages?
• Does the student use a sign language other than
  ASL?
• How does the family communicate with the d/hh
  child?
• How does the d/hh child communicate with various
  family members?
• If English is not the home language, who in the
  family knows English? Parents? Siblings?

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Basic student information

• Home and school
• What language should be used for home school
  communication? Oral (phone calls)? Written?
• Does parent/guardian want a translator/
  interpreter available at school conferences?
• IDEA requires that parents be given information
  in their native language.
• What interpreting/translating resources are
  available in your school or district?

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Being an Effective Teacher of Diverse D/HH
Students
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How can we be effective teachers of diverse d/hh
learners?

• by becoming a culturally responsive/ culturally
  relevant teacher.
• A culturally relevant teacher is affirming to
  her or his students, builds on what students
  bring to school, and encourages students to
  become self-directed thinkers within a caring and
  democratic society.
• Pang, 2005

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How can we be effective teachers of diverse d/hh
learners?

• We need to know the communities and backgrounds
  of our students.
• It is helpful to have knowledge in general about
  the racial, ethnic, linguistic etc. group the
  child is from, including the local community.
• As we become more knowledgeable about and
  comfortable in different communities, we will
  develop an understanding of the range of beliefs,
  values, behaviors, customs, etc. found in that
  community.
• This can serve as a starting point to
  understanding, but remember each child and
  his/her family is unique.
• As we get to know the child and family better, we
  can determine how they are similar to and
  different from others in their community.

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How can we be effective teachers of diverse d/hh
learners?

• Take simple steps to get to know communities
  outside your own experience
• Attend cultural events in your community
• If your church has services in another language,
  attend one.
• Take dance lessons, or cooking lessons.
• Study a language.
• Eat in restaurants in theneighborhoods where
  yourstudents live.

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Multicultural education and educational change
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Multicultural Education and educational reform

• Multicultural education developed as a result of
  struggles for civil rights.
• Brown vs. the Board of Education was the
  beginning of many civil rights reforms in
  education including PL94-142, and Title IX.
• Multicultural education is an educational reform
  movement.

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Teachers as agents for multicultural change

• As we proceed through this short course,
• consider what needs you see in your classroom and
  school
• think about the ways in which you could begin or
  continue to make your classroom and teaching more
  culturally responsive.
• Develop some ideas for changes that could be made
  at the school level.
• What is a short-term project that would be
  feasible in the next school year?
• What are long-terms needs ?

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Linked articles

• Critical Issue Educating Teachers for Diversity
• The Need for a Diverse Teaching Staff
• How is Cultural Competence Integrated in
  Education?
• How We are White by Gary Howard
• A Brief History of Multicultural Education
• Teachers as agents for multicultural change