I'm back and have been immersed again in activity. Currently, I am in Southern California meeting with a film maker who is inspired to tell the film version of Ildefonso's story of entering our world of language.
I have been able to see Ildefonso more than usual. He has a wonderful sense of humor, and a big heart. With years of language, he has attached labels - names and dates - to some memories. I made a mistake in the book, thinking he was an adult when he came to the U.S. and did apple-picking and other work. He was about 8 years old and alone.
This guy never ceases to surprise me.
Yours for preventing any baby from being raised with little or no language,
susan
Sunday
Monday
Back after a sabbatical
Dear World,
I didn't retreat entirely or go live in a cave, but I did step down from a few projects, stepped back from planning and committing, and stayed a while in that uncomfortable place of not knowing. I am disheartened by so many people's inability to see deaf babies and Deaf people as human first, and different from the majority second. And, especially, parents who do not accept their visual babies as differently abled, but as deficient and needing to be fixed.
With my discouragement, often self doubts appear and questions about who am I to think I can write and speak and spark any change in a war, that has been waging against deaf babies ever since someone tried to educate a deaf child. In the past, I respond with more activity and more involvement and drive myself more. The last two months, I did not.
I decided to stay in the "I don't know" place. I squirmed, I chased away black clouds, I squelched my impulses to run away or jump into another battle, and I sat. It helped that my foot has been hurting and I couldn't walk most of the time, but, mostly, I was training myself to face uncomfortable truths, to look inside of me to improve my tolerance for differences, my receptive and acceptance skills, and my abilities to change. I discovered (surprise, surprise) that it is much harder than attempting to influence others to change.
And, that is why it is so uncomfortable.
It is absolutely necessary to face inward with honesty in order to move forward with honesty, to face inward with compassion to move forward with compassion, to face inward with forgiveness and love, to move forward with forgiveness and love, and to align our inner principles in order to move forward from an integrated foundation.
Onward, forward to the fray, but slower and more consciously,
susan "I don't know" schaller
I didn't retreat entirely or go live in a cave, but I did step down from a few projects, stepped back from planning and committing, and stayed a while in that uncomfortable place of not knowing. I am disheartened by so many people's inability to see deaf babies and Deaf people as human first, and different from the majority second. And, especially, parents who do not accept their visual babies as differently abled, but as deficient and needing to be fixed.
With my discouragement, often self doubts appear and questions about who am I to think I can write and speak and spark any change in a war, that has been waging against deaf babies ever since someone tried to educate a deaf child. In the past, I respond with more activity and more involvement and drive myself more. The last two months, I did not.
I decided to stay in the "I don't know" place. I squirmed, I chased away black clouds, I squelched my impulses to run away or jump into another battle, and I sat. It helped that my foot has been hurting and I couldn't walk most of the time, but, mostly, I was training myself to face uncomfortable truths, to look inside of me to improve my tolerance for differences, my receptive and acceptance skills, and my abilities to change. I discovered (surprise, surprise) that it is much harder than attempting to influence others to change.
And, that is why it is so uncomfortable.
It is absolutely necessary to face inward with honesty in order to move forward with honesty, to face inward with compassion to move forward with compassion, to face inward with forgiveness and love, to move forward with forgiveness and love, and to align our inner principles in order to move forward from an integrated foundation.
Onward, forward to the fray, but slower and more consciously,
susan "I don't know" schaller
Saturday
what fun
How ironic! I, an advocate for visual language for visual people, am on national public radio.
Enjoy life. Accept and enjoy ironies.
why not
Enjoy life. Accept and enjoy ironies.
why not
Thursday
AUG! Those August AUdists!
What is the reaction to Deaf people who say "audists" for doctors, augiologists, teachers and parents who forbid visual language for visual people (I know,it sounds crazy, but that insanity is the message given by over 90% of Ear, Nose, Throat Doctors)?
They are called crazy - militant or fanatical.
For over thirty years, I've been wondering how I can share my experience of meeting a beautiful and rich culture and language, based on vision, that would change the perspective of parents and the medical world.
How can we appreciate what others have instead of what is different or missing?
I welcome any ideas, suggestions or descriptions of any successful projects. Until then, let's ask all our friends and neighbors to buy ASL Tales at ASLTales.net, and help bilingual storytelling take off. If you would like to send in a donation, I will buy one and put it in a doctor's office. Or, you buy one for your local pediatrician. There's an idea, let's organize pediatricians around this. I think they would see the need for language in babies, over the need to fantasize about making the baby "normal."
I look forward to any comnmunication.
They are called crazy - militant or fanatical.
For over thirty years, I've been wondering how I can share my experience of meeting a beautiful and rich culture and language, based on vision, that would change the perspective of parents and the medical world.
How can we appreciate what others have instead of what is different or missing?
I welcome any ideas, suggestions or descriptions of any successful projects. Until then, let's ask all our friends and neighbors to buy ASL Tales at ASLTales.net, and help bilingual storytelling take off. If you would like to send in a donation, I will buy one and put it in a doctor's office. Or, you buy one for your local pediatrician. There's an idea, let's organize pediatricians around this. I think they would see the need for language in babies, over the need to fantasize about making the baby "normal."
I look forward to any comnmunication.
Wednesday
July to July to July to Today
Dear All,
I am back home after traveling for a month,and feeling very appreciative of home, friendly faces and familiarity. Mostly, I loved seeing my kids, again. I am glad I spent so much time listening to their discoveries, bad jokes, silly stories and musings. My work today and for as many days as I have is to encourage parents and families to talk to and listen to their children, in all modes available.
My trip to the Rockies, Canada, New York state, New Hampshire and Texas was to spread the word about a great tool for connecting to our children - ASL TALES. Bilingual quality storytelling, in English and American Sign Language (DVD in the back of the book) is accessible through eyes and ears, including translations in 5 languages.
Please communicate to any young people in your lives - present them with an ASL TALES book - ASLTales.net.
Yesterday, my story of meeting Ildefonso, a languageless man appeared in Daily Good (linked above). Ildefonso changed my life, making me dedicated to the task of preventing any baby from growing up without language (or seriously delayed in learning language). ASL Tales is wonderful and valuable for ALL kids, making it more possible that it will actually reach deaf babies. Please write me and ask how you can help, in addition to visiting ASLTales.net
Or,just write me and say hello.
I am back home after traveling for a month,and feeling very appreciative of home, friendly faces and familiarity. Mostly, I loved seeing my kids, again. I am glad I spent so much time listening to their discoveries, bad jokes, silly stories and musings. My work today and for as many days as I have is to encourage parents and families to talk to and listen to their children, in all modes available.
My trip to the Rockies, Canada, New York state, New Hampshire and Texas was to spread the word about a great tool for connecting to our children - ASL TALES. Bilingual quality storytelling, in English and American Sign Language (DVD in the back of the book) is accessible through eyes and ears, including translations in 5 languages.
Please communicate to any young people in your lives - present them with an ASL TALES book - ASLTales.net.
Yesterday, my story of meeting Ildefonso, a languageless man appeared in Daily Good (linked above). Ildefonso changed my life, making me dedicated to the task of preventing any baby from growing up without language (or seriously delayed in learning language). ASL Tales is wonderful and valuable for ALL kids, making it more possible that it will actually reach deaf babies. Please write me and ask how you can help, in addition to visiting ASLTales.net
Or,just write me and say hello.
Tuesday
June to Denver, Toronto, New York, Texas,...
Welcome to June, more beginnings and endings. As another school year finishes, the summer ushers in change and more change.
I'm off to Colorado Springs and Denver next week, then on to Toronto. Through all the handshaking and talking, one theme will travel: language and literacy, literacy and language. My new task, expanding and building ASL Tales's programs and more tales, will connect me to many people working to bring language, literacy and a good start to little kids, in the home, at schools and in libraries.
Please write me at susan.schaller (at) gmail.com to let me know anyone who would like to collaborate on early education literacy and language projects. Let's all show up for our children.
And, if you haven't looked, check out asltales.net
Yours for language and more language for all kids,
susan
I'm off to Colorado Springs and Denver next week, then on to Toronto. Through all the handshaking and talking, one theme will travel: language and literacy, literacy and language. My new task, expanding and building ASL Tales's programs and more tales, will connect me to many people working to bring language, literacy and a good start to little kids, in the home, at schools and in libraries.
Please write me at susan.schaller (at) gmail.com to let me know anyone who would like to collaborate on early education literacy and language projects. Let's all show up for our children.
And, if you haven't looked, check out asltales.net
Yours for language and more language for all kids,
susan
Monday
May Multilingual Flowers
Happy May and Happy News:
ASL Tales is springing into action with more wonderful fairytale and fable books, written in English and accompanied by a wonderful Deaf storyteller, signing in ASL, with voice over in many languages.
One Hispanic boy reported that he followed the ASL with the help of the Spanish translation, and it made him want to learn the English so he could read the book.
Yes and yes and yes to ASL Tales. Please tell all your friends, start buying birthday and holiday gifts for all your little friends and relatives.
Language and more language blooming all over.
Go ASL Tales, go.
ASL Tales is springing into action with more wonderful fairytale and fable books, written in English and accompanied by a wonderful Deaf storyteller, signing in ASL, with voice over in many languages.
One Hispanic boy reported that he followed the ASL with the help of the Spanish translation, and it made him want to learn the English so he could read the book.
Yes and yes and yes to ASL Tales. Please tell all your friends, start buying birthday and holiday gifts for all your little friends and relatives.
Language and more language blooming all over.
Go ASL Tales, go.
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