News Events Action

December Craziness

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:43:00 +0000

As we enter the crazy season of commercialized holidays, too much traffic, too many commitments, I wish everyone some serentiy. Pause and enjoy what is, especially your children or the people close to you. Every child and every person is just another packaged bit of life. See and appreciate what is special in them.

For example, if a deaf child has eyes, learn how to see better from him or her. Expose visual children to visual language. Learn from a difference rather than shun it. Pausing, listening, observing and appreciating are the ways to slow down the craziness of this busy season.

If you are a parent or relative of a deaf child or student, books and DVDs are 1/2 price. Find and print the order form at www.susanschaller.com and just send a check for 1/2 of what is stated. I will send you a book and/or DVD (signed if you would like - tell me) the day I receive it.

Yours for all children,

susan schaller (more about me at conversations.org - Spring issue)

Deaf parents/students - Free DVDs/ Books-$10

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:33:00 +0000

Warning - not the usual BLOG - please check back, for a less practical entry, soon.

I just read a book review and at the end it sent you - parents of Deaf children to my blog to order books for only $10 - whoooops!

So, if you landed here after following that advice - go to www.susanschaller.com and find the right page for ordering books.
[or, send $10 to me at 1442A Walnut St. #139, Berkeley, CA. 94709]

If you are a parent of a D/deaf child, tell me on the order form, and send in only $10, and, of course, your address.

If you would like to help me continue to buy and give away the book, and are able to pay more, please feel free ot pay anything above 10 dollars.

Students of education, medicine or _____ (make a good case), write me at susan@susanschaller.com and request a discount.

DVDs for those who will use and share it with others, and parents or families of D/deaf children are free, plus $5 for shipping and handling. Write me for more information, if you want them for a class or a workshop.

Panning for Gold in Murphys

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:30:00 +0000

Dear Faithful Readers,

Murphys' friendly residents welcomed me, warmed me and launched me into new creative spheres. My Little Yellow Cottage writing retreat helped me to incubate and hatch lively new creatures for the book in progress.

By the by, for those who have read the interview of my work (/conversations.org/) wherein it was announced my book would be published by the University of Gallaudet Press, I have an update:

I couldn't sign the contract they sent me. It came with censorship: I was told I could not write anything strongly against oralism.

Hmmmm? If oralism includes forbidding signing, and not being exposed to signing is the leading cause of raising children without language, how do I not say something negative about oralism?

The good news is that the censorship led me to review my manuscript with new eyes and heart. I have, once again, begun to rewrite my book. I do not want to argue with oralism or against oralists, and continue a war. I want to encourage parents to love their deaf babies, recognizing what tremendous visual creatures they are; to sign with them and learn how to see from these experts on seeing.

Any and all opinions, comments and suggestions are welcome. We need to be the change we want to see: Happy Birthday Gandhi.

Yours for non-violence and ending wars,

susan of www.susanschaller.com

We are the Change We Wish to See- SIGN!

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:22:00 +0000

Signing in as September signs out.

The message for the month is SIGN, SIGN, SIGN. Write me after you read: (susan@susanschaller.com)

If Deaf babies signed from the crib, they would be equal to all other babies, learning language, relating and communicating to their families, accessing education and cognitive stimulation (bed time stories, counting games, linguistic play,...) and community.

Please help me spread the word to your local doctor, PTA, EVERYONE: "visual language for visual babies" regardless of what else the parents and doctors are deciding. Sign and mime and visually communicate to that little baby while it is being tested and prodded by the medical experts.

All babies need and want language. [To all of you who have nothing to do with serving the Deaf community, I know this seems obvious, but were you to consider a career in deafness, your common sense would be washed out of your brain. Please tell your neighbors, friends and doctors that the medical world usually tells new parents of deaf babies NOT to sign to the baby as it interferes with speech learning (WRONG/error - please correct when opportunity arises)].

Keep on telling good stories about bilingual Deaf kids (who have a signed and spoken language).

Thank you, ahead of time, for any help, suggestions, and comraderie that you can send me;

susan schaller at susanschaller.com

June Rose

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:09:00 +0000

As June roses bloomed larger than ever in Berkeley, I planted new chapter ideas for my new book.

A publisher continues to negotiate a new contract, and the old (second) book is evolving into a new (third) book.

I will tell you all the news and events as they unfold, in detail, another time.

Today, I must write a book.

Yours for language rights, bilingualism, visual language for visual babies, and smelling the roses,

susan schaller of www.susanschaller.com

May travels and transition

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Sun, 24 May 2009 04:40:00 +0000

Greetings from rural England, then Oxford, then Heathrow, then over the North Pole and Canada and back on land in San Francisco.

Works and Conversations published an interview about me and my work. Send me your address and I'll send you a copy.

The ASL Festival is on next week - I'll see you there, in San Francisco, just outside of the Embarcadero BART station. Exit and head for the bay - look for clever faces and hands - you can't miss it.

be happy

susan

www.susanschaller.com

Equality Comes for Deaf People

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 09:27:00 +0000

Today marks a terrific triumph:

Universal declaration announced today that Deaf babies are first HUMAN babies and must be allowed equal access to language. From now on, all governments on the planet mandate that visual babies be exposed to a visual language - the signed language of the respective country, and all new parents of deaf babies learn that visual language.

Each country now recognizes their Deaf community's signed language as one of the official languages, allowing Deaf citizens to be active at every level of their society. Full bilingual education and bilingual services are now available for Deaf people all over the globe.

Hurrah! Hurrah! And shout and SIGN "HURRAH!" again.

Truly, this is the best day in world history for Deaf people everywhere.

I can now retire.

susan@susan.schaller.com

www.susanschaller.com

April Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 08:09:00 +0000

In April, an interview of me will appear in Works & Conversations, with the announcement that " In Search of the Languageless Tribe" will be published soon. Hurrah!

I just came back from Southern England after interviewing a friend and fellow actor in the National Theater of the Deaf of Dot Miles whom I write about in the new book.

I'm off to Paris and then rural France this week. Back to England, then off the Austria at the end of March. I will be speaking in Salzburg at The English Center.

Then back to Shropshire to continue rewriting the book, adding, subtracting and polishing it for publication.

Thank you, all who have been supporting me and the advocacy for Deaf language rigtht, for these many years.

L'chaim, and equal access to language and life,
susan

www.susanschaller.com

The Honesty, Creativity and Confidence of 5-yr.-olds

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:36:00 +0000

Dear Readers,

Let's all be 5 again. Just think of everything we could accomplish!

In Chapter Two: Language Wars

... My attraction to languages and their respective cultures stems from both the early love of my father and also from his strange sub-culture. When I was five, I remember the excitement of learning to read. I knew it was a doorway into a much bigger world outside our little house in Wyoming. Only days or weeks after learning to read, I wandered into my father’s office where books stood, wall to wall, floor to ceiling, and lay scattered across his messy desk. I climbed onto his big oak swivel chair to reach the top of his desk. My father always had open books, at least three, in his work space, besides all the papers and closed books circling the writing pad. I pulled the first book closer. Shock, disappointment and excitement all flooded my insides at once, as I stared at a completely different and unreadable alphabet. That ancient Greek book was next to an ancient Hebrew text and next to an English book with the familiar alphabet but few words I could understand. I found more funny words or lettering in Latin and old German Script books, all lying in front of me. For a split second, I felt like I was drowning in an ocean, but with the confidence of a five-year-old, I decided to learn how to read them all.

Deaf Bilingual Coalition

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:52:00 +0000

Recently, I donated for a fund-raiser, for the Deaf Bilingual Coaltion,a Polish poster of Children of a Lesser God and some old ILY (mother signing to a baby) postage stamps. As I looked around the room of almost hundred signing Deaf people, I wondered why it was so hard for hearing parents, doctors, and most of society to accept these people as equal to us. They have their own language, sports teams, churches, traditions and customs, and beautiful art and poetry. What is it that makes humans focus on differences rather than similarities, and worse, abuse minorities who are not "like us"?

This last Thursday, the U.S. celebrated Thanksgiving, a holiday dedicated to gratitude. We are all grateful for diversity in nature - plants, animals, landscapes. Nature includes all the varieties of humans, making life much more interesting. I'm grateful for every word of every foreign language I've learned - it's the beginning of a window into a different culture and way of viewing the world. I'm especially grateful for meeting Deaf people and learning a 3-D language and a richer way of seeing.

Yours for language rights for all people, especially deaf babies,

susan schaller

www.susanschaller.com

Autumn Planning for Spring Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:21:00 +0000

We need to finish planting our winter crops before the cold and wet chases us inside.

The winter crops I would like to see grow are:

A broader coaltion of people working together to combat "anti-otherism." Linguistic minority rights, children's rights, disability rights, purple-spotted, three-legged hermaphrodite rights all huddle together under HUMAN RIGHTS. The more WE recognize ourselves in others, the more we can learn from each other, build community and live fuller lives.

A deeper understanding of how our human condition is related to environmental crises/opportunities, our expressions - academic, artistic, political-public (as in town meeting action, not just voting), and how solutions to all our problems begin with connection to each other.

Laughter. Let's plant the seeds of honesty and humility (objectivity - letting go of ego), so we can step back, not take everything personally and LAUGH at ourselves.

Perspective. See "laughter."

Tell me about your plans for the coming season.

Yours for a better life,
susan schaller of susanschaller.com

In Search of the Languageless Tribe

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:34:00 +0000

My second book, now entitled In Search of the Languageless Tribe, is finally being considered for publication. Stay tuned for news on that front.

Another director/screenwriter is brainstorming with me and others on dramatic film possibilities for A Man Without Words or a documentary on languageless people.

September 28th, at 4:00, a presenter is introducing me and the advocacy work of the Deaf Bilingual Coalition. If you're in Berkeley, find the Arlington Café on the Arlington, a mile above the Marin Avenue circle. If you mention this blog, I'll give you a free DBC shirt.

The new academic year has begun and deadlines for papers and conference registration have begun to pepper my calendar.

I have an invitation to present in England, and hopefully, will be busy rewriting my book for publication.

In conclusion, contact me now if you, your class, university or bookstore would like to add to my calendar art.

Write me with any specific questions, comments or requests for a denser blog entry!

yours for language rights,

susan from www.susanschaller.com

Summer School

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:15:00 +0000

Teaching disadvantaged inner city youth took over my summer. I taught beginning ASL to a wide variety of struggling teenagers. I don't know if I taught anything, but I learned an amazing amount.

I will be back soon to my website and blog. I have an almost overwhelming writing job that I will tell you all about - some other time.

soon

susan@susanschaller.com

Community Development

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:55:00 +0000

The ideal for workers in social service, education, politics or raising children is to work one's self out of a job. Success is moving someone from dependence to independence and the teacher, facilitator, politician, or mother is no longer needed.

Perhaps, I am out of a job for Deaf people are standing up for themselves for the first time in American history. I just came back from Milwaukee where Deaf people from all over the country stood up to the giant Alexander graham Bell association and said, "ENOUGH - NO MORE LANGUAGE ABUSE." The obvious theme was equal language rights for deaf babies with the explicit message that deaf babies are human babies first and their biological difference is secondary.

The Deaf Bilingual Coalition is using the same language, especially "human rights" that the World Federation of the Deaf (and I) have been using for decades. There have been many individuals, of course, who have understood the issue, but this was the first national organized rally by and of the Deaf community against the fanatical and ruling ideology of oralism.

I'm hoping that I have worked myself out of a job.

Yours for peace, justice, language rights, minority rights, equality - for COMMUNITY,

susan schaller
susanschaller.com

oralists = racists = sexists = rejecting our humanity

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:35:00 +0000

Greetings after my long, reflective break.

After my speaking tour in Indiana and Ohio, I came back with a head of questions. On the practical level, I questioned all the air, bus and car travel in a time when I am striving to be kinder to the earth, growing some of my own food, walking ( I gave up by car, yesterday) and supporting local farmers. More appropriate to this blog, I wondered if my speaking was effective. Was I simply preaching to the choir: those already studying ASL, Deaf studies or Disability issues?

The question which surfaced again, and has been in my head for decades, is:

WHY DO WE TREAT DEAF BABIES SO BADLY?

Fear causes division. Hence the title above. Fear triggers blaming the victim, and the subsequent effort to "fix" the person different from us. Oralism - the Alexander Graham Bell philosophy (as well as most of society's) which discriminates againstsigning and ignores the visual nature of Deaf people - like racism or any "-ism" sees the difference as the problem. If Deaf people simply acted hearing, they would be successful. This is equivalent to "if African-Americans just acted more white, they would be more successful." The burden is placed on the person with the difference, so if he or she fails to be hearing or white, that person is at fault. The hearing parent, hearing doctor, or the hearing or white society is never examined or seen as the problem. A reaction based on fear and blindness becomes the convention. Any who speak out against this unfair system is seen as unreasonable.

My musings of the last month leave me wondering what I and we should do. The opposite of fear is love. The opposite of highlighting differences is to recognize our similarities. Recognizing our commonalities is embracing all humans as if we were all together instead of separate. No person is an island. We are tribal beings which would and should lead all of us to immediately see that a deaf baby needs normal and natural language and socialization: visual communication and language for visual creatures. And if we can see, then we can use our vision to connect with our visual babies.

Who should I be talking to, writing to, or working with, to help point to this obvious truth? Is it bigger than deafness and deaf babies? How can we all become more human and recognize each other as part of ourselves? Like Voltaire, after raving about the world's craziness, I see the wisdom in joining community and cultivating our garden. In other words, words may be a waste of time; growing, loving, touching, being, locally and in community, may be how I should live.

Philosophically yours,

susan of www.susanschaller.com

April Action

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:02:00 +0000

I'm on the road speaking out against the human rights violation of raising babies without language.

Details and news will appear soon, but I'm now off to Columbus State Community College for two days of speaking.

Last week, I spoke and met with hundreds of people at Indiana University in Bloomington, and PBS broadcasted a TV interview throughout southern Indiana.

Wednesday, I move on to Dayton and Wright State University.

See www.susanschaller.com to get information on how to keep the word (and signs) moving.

Onward for human rights!

Language Rights as if Babies Mattered

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:57:00 +0000

When my paper was accepted for the EHDI - Early Hearing Detection & Intervention - conference, I got a call asking if I would change the title (from the one above) to just Language Rights. I laughed - they sounded so serious and upset that I would imply they didn't care about babies - and immediately agreed.

I should have kept the original title.

New Orleans was a shock. Five hundred people talking about audiology, speech, cochlear implants and all the needs of all the EHDI programs in the United States, and only twenty of us (hopefully, there were maybe forty or fifty, but many were quiet) seemed concerned about the babies.

The babies are lost when the discussion, the money, the resources - ALL the attention is on hearing and speech, as if only ears and mouths existed. Language development, cognitive development, socialization, normal family communication, self esteem and identity, education, and mental health were secondary or not mentioned at all.

Fast forward two weeks: I presented at the CAL ED conference in San Ramon where everyone talked about babies, humans, whole people who have feelings and need language to be fully human. Language is not speech which is how it was interpreted in New Orleans.

Please, accept my public apology for changing the name. Refer audiologists, speech therapists, and ENT doctors to this site and ask them to back away from mouths and ears far enough to see the whole baby.

LANGUAGE (a complete accessible visual language for a visual baby)

and LANGUAGE RIGHTS

AS IF BABIES MATTER

Signing is a right for deaf babies, not a medical issue - pass it on.
susanschaller.com

Honoring Biological Diversity

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 03:39:00 +0000

This coming weekend I fly to New Orleans for the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention conference. It is good to see folks like Ben Bahan of Gallaudet giving presentations. I hope to discuss bilingual policies and the human rights approach to meeting new deaf babies. If one thinks of human rights and what a child needs, language is early on the list, and the sensible response to deafness is "Oh, a visual baby - let's match him/her to a visual language."

I'll be curious how many people will be talking from this center as opposed to: " What's WRONG with this baby?" That question leads to trying to fix and mold the baby to fit one idea of how we all are suppose to be. Turtles are deaf, and I've never heard of anyone suggesting fixing a turtle. Is accepting and honoring differences such a strange idea?

Onward,
susan

susanschaller.com

Language Rights Globally

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:57:00 +0000

I finally made it back to California time after my trip to England where I presented to the National Deaf Children's Society, and met with Bencie Woll, director of a cognitive and language research center in London. England has certainly been progressing. British Sign Language is on television everyday, employment for the deaf has increased and diversified and Deaf leaders continue to emerge and assert their rights. Oralism and mainstreaming, however, still influence far too many hearing parents and many deaf babies are not exposed to signing. We need to roll up our sleeves and keep working.

The Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Conference has invited me to give a paper on language rights, so I am off to New Orleans February 23-27. I am meeting with some good Texan workers who will update me on what is happening in that big state. I will be encouraging everyone to view and use Vital-Signs, the DVD, to present a positive picture of the Deaf community and their wonderful visual language, especially to new parents and health professionals Check it out at www.susanschaller.com

Yours for bilingualism, multiculturalism and a more tolerant world,

susan schaller

happy new year

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 00:54:00 +0000

2008: Day One: As I am preparing for a presentation in England related to the Every Child Matters legislation, a theme for the new year weaves through my thoughts: every day matters.

So, today I continued to think of ways we can promote human rights for all people every day. Just as each one of us can promote peace by being more peaceful, we can each promote ideas of basic human dignity, equal access to health care, education and community through our daily attitude and actions. The easiest way is to be present, look each person you meet in the eye as an equal and celebrate whatever we can together, starting with the first day of the year. Today, let's help each other share this full life.

Happy New Year
susanschaller.com

November Action

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:01:00 +0000

In November, after October's successful classes, university presentations, radio interview and constructivist teachers' conference paper, I worked closer to home. After a workshop with some enthusiastic participants at Pixar's University, I volunteered as a roaming ASL interpreter for the Green Festival in San Francisco. I was thrilled to see so many interpreters for formal speeches and for Deaf participants who want to survey the hundreds of booths along with the hearing crowd. The greater joy was in seeing Deaf people come, join in and take advantage of the volunteer resources. Like when traffic flows smoothly and everyone is taking advantage of the rules of right away, traffic lights and planned lanes, it's wonderful when the system works, because people are using it.

Toward the end of the month, I was asked to evaluate an almost deaf boy (it is possible that the parents want him to be more hearing than he is - could be the misdiagnosis: Potentially Hearing) to see if he signed. Indeed, he signs more than his parents, and better than his parents. I could tell he was rusty, stuck at a beginning level, and reverted to "hearing" signs, for the sake of his parents. I submitted my report and reccommendation: GET A DEAF AIDE, A DEAF PLAYMATE, A DEAF BABYSITTER, AND SIGN, SIGN, SIGN in order to improve his language and communication, because speech and hearing are limiting this boy, and he is not progressing linguistically, educationally or socially. Of course, a Deaf teacher would be the best, but I knew the district didn't have one. If inclusion were really a goal, wouldn't that mean included Deaf people at every level- students, aides, teaachers and administrators?

I was sad for the boy; I used yet another reminder that I must work harder to prevent deaf children from growing up with little or no shared language.

I have a radical suggestion: let us (teachers, professionals, parents, administrators - all of us) try solutions that are the easiest and work best for the child. Give me your ideas, suggestions and comments - check out www.susanschaller.com

Thank you for all who showed up at CSD's Open House - another great November event.

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:23:00 +0000

Lives Without Words, People Without Language, my second book, moves closer to publication as the subject of languageless begins to surface. The Southern California tour was an inspiring success. At universities and on the radio and in many classes I talked to future and current teachers, doctors, academics and parents who were encouraged to respect our deaf babies instead of mistreat them. Next week, I talk to artists in the film industry about learning visual poetry from the superior world of seeing - the Deaf community.

Contact me with any ideas for events or publicity: see www.susanschaller.com

Southern California Tour

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:56:00 +0000

Making the crime of languagelessness visible, one book at a time, one speech at a time, one film at a time, one blog at a time, one vital-signs video at a time, one web site at a time - www.susanschaller.com - (link at bottom), ...

October 16 California State University, San Bernardino and October 17 UC Irvine POSTPONED

October 18
University of Redlands contact: Leela_Madhavarau at redlands.edu

Presentation and showing of the documentary, In Search of Lucy Doe, with Oliver Sacks, Susan Schaller, and languageless people from her second book: Lives Without Words, People Without Language.

October 23
California State University, Northridge (flyer below)

Sponsored by the Office of the Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs
contacti: joseph.antunez at csun.edu

The public and the CSUN Campus Community are cordially invited to a presentation by

Susan Schaller
Date: Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Time: 4:00 – 6 pm Place:
Oviatt Library, Presentation Room California State University, Northridge

Susan Schaller, author of A Man Without Words (UC Press) is ready to publish her second book, Lives Without Words, People Without Language, about the hidden crime of children being raised without language, and the triumph of learning a first language in adulthood. In Search of Lucy Doe (BBC World Service), which includes stories from her upcoming second book and her work with Oliver Sacks, was chosen by the Margaret Mead Film Festival in New York.

Schaller founded and directed a non-profit, producing the educational program and award-winning video, Vital-Signs (now a DVD), and Deaf World Television. Through her writing and public speaking, she promotes equal access to language for Deaf people, and introduces hearing people to an astounding culture based on vision.

Schaller's observations of people living outside of a shared language have inspired her and help answer "What does it mean to be human?" Relevant to many disciplines, from education, psychology and anthropology to medicine, policy and minority language rights, her writing, public speaking, and stories from the rarely visited world of languageless people explores what it means to be human, and how we can improve our vision by accepting Deaf people's superior abilities to see.

Rights as if Humans Mattered

noreply@blogger.com (susan schaller) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 19:48:00 +0000

When I tell people that I wrote a second book to prevent children from growing up without language, people always looked shocked that such a thing could happen. I always have to explain that 92% of deaf babies are born to hearing parents who don't usually think of language as the problem. Their doctors, educators and other "experts" also don't see language as the main issue facing a deaf baby in a hearing family. Many times the parents are explicitly told NOT to sign as that interferes with speech and hearing (even if there is none!). Thus, there are a few deaf babies who grow up without a clue what a shared language - a named language like English, Spanish or American Sign Language- is or how it connects us all. They are left out of any human community.

And the reaction to the above? Shock and disbelief. Normal hearing people see the human right of all deaf babies to have language. If a baby is visual, a visual language - a signed language makes sense.

So what's the problem?

Normal people are not the doctors, educators, audiologists and the A. G. Bell people advising new parents. These self proclaimed experts are blind to the very human, very beautiful and more than adequate visual lives of Deaf people and their rich, sophisticated signed languages, like American Sign Language or Japanese Sign Language. They as do all hearing parents of deaf babies need to learn about basic human rights: ALL BABIES NEED LANGUAGE.

The solution is already in place in Scandanavia : bilingualism. First get language to babies. If the baby is visual, use a visual language: Swedish or Finnish or Danish Sign Language. Then the spoken language of the parents and community. And why does it exist in one part of the world and no where else? Those countries ask the right question: What does a human baby need? Language is on the list, and the baby gets language through whatever medium is easiest (eyes instead of ears for deaf babies - how revolutionary!).

In the United States and most of the world, the wrong question gets the wrong answers: What's wrong with this baby?
Doctors and parents answer: "Broken ears." The next ten or twenty years are spent fixing non-working ears and the human baby is forgotten as a person.

Let's take languagelessness out of the closet. Take prelingual deafness out of educators hands, out of medicince, and put this language issue where it belongs: the human rights arena.