Learn to be heard – Help children suffering with deafness

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to look at this blog, as we believe helping deaf children and their families is a great cause that needs to be helped. By reading this it helps us to know that other people have the heart to at least recognise that deaf children are people – and if you are willing to support in any way please continue to read and leave a comment at the end. As you may be wondering, our theme is the topic of helping deaf children’s education rights to be equalised to those who are fully hearing. You may support our advocacy by just typing NDCS into the search bar and signing an e-petition, or trying to get involved as much as you can by fundraising or donating!

You are probably wondering why you should care at the moment, but here are just a few reasons to prove you should:

• NDCS needs funding to run - and they can’t do it all by themselves – so please help today!
• Deaf children have to pay for specialist education whereas children without disabilities have a perfectly good, free education.
• You could help change the lives of millions of deaf children and their families across the whole world.
• NDCS’ mission is to remove the barriers to the achievement of deaf children throughout the world.
• NDCS believes that with the right support, deaf children can do anything other children are capable of.

You may have thought deaf children were completely normal without hearing, but they are definitely not. They have special educational needs as they cannot hear or speak – this is the main quality needed for learning in comprehensive schools. They need their own schools – such as Exeter Royal Academy for the Deaf – otherwise they have to be home-schooled or educated at a normal school. This can be a hard and painful time for both the child and the parents. Victoria unfortunately had to leave her family for a boarding school, in order to receive the education that was necessary for her to succeed in life. Luckily, she made new friends that were just like family to her. Here is her story:

I am 15 years old. I’m a freshman from Model Secondary School for the Deaf. I am from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I love MSSD. It’s a lot opportunity to do in there. If you’re a MSSD’s new student, you’d learn about a lot stuff 24/7 like everybody. I learned a lot from my friends about other states, their different personals, their different experiences, their different cultures and many things including education too. I met friends and they are from Hawaii, California, Alaska, Florida, Arizona, Texas, Vermont and many more states than you can imagine. I think there are students from other countries. I am not sure if they are still MSSD’s students, but isn’t it cool? MSSD for teaching kids how to be independence like college kids. There are a lot challenges with intelligent kids sit next to you in classes if u are MSSD’s student.

It’s difficult to be independence for a while or longer than that. When I didn’t live in dorm, my mom used to clean my clothes and uniforms. My mom used cook best foods I ever have. I see my family and my pets every day. When I live in dorm, I have to pay and clean my uniforms and clothes every night. My school’s foods are not good enough and I order a lot. I can’t see my family and my pets for a while. I miss my bed. But I love MSSD because I learned lot stuff and I am still learning.
Its big school and many, many kids. There is no popular, no geek and no jocks. They are all mixed up but it’s depending on how intelligent they are. There are some negative about MSSD but it’s happens in all schools too anyway. MSSD is very strict school; they are not accepting hazing kids. They are like watchful like eagle’s eyes and make sure everybody is OK and do their schoolwork and homework.

MSSD keep in touch with parents a lot. MSSD send all parents and (Gallaudet University I think) “MSSD’s newspaper from students” every week. Students write letters, poet, jokes, news and anything they want to say and it’s on “MSSD’s newspaper.” I think it’s pretty cool and it’d make parents proud of their kids if kids wrote but students don’t have to do that. A lot kids wrote so far. MSSD students have to join after school programs like sports, art class and clubs and keep students busy. Students have to control their times so they’d do homework and they’d not sleep late.

My middle school name is Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. MSSD and PSD are very different! MSSD is very big school. PSD is small school. I know all students and I know their last names too. PSD is more flexible than MSSD. PSD taught me a lot but not like MSSD because PSD didn’t teach me that lot like MSSD for 24/7. MSSD have more opportunity to social and more experiences.

This is my first time going away. At first day of dorm for new students only, I was so nervous because I know nobody only old students like sophomore and returning freshman. It’d easier if you has a friend from MSSD. I have a best friend from MSSD, he is sophomore and he knows about MSSD more than I did but not now anymore. I know MSSD enough as my best friend now. It’s hard for my families let me go and live away. But not now anymore because they know I am fine now. They sent e-mail in my mobile pager every day and told them I am OK and how’s my school something like that parent want to know.

As you can see, Victoria had to leave her mum – and her lovely food – as well as her pets, brothers and sisters, which can be very difficult for a child of her age. She may have coped and been happy in the end, but some others are not. As NDCS understand the difficulties that come with leaving home, they hope to provide more schools for the deaf i.e at least one in every county of the UK and at least 5-6 in each state of the U.S. NDCS cannot do this alone and they need your help today! You can go to http://www.ndcs.org.uk/ to help give those who are deaf the chances they need! You could also sign our petition: http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/ndcsrachelandbrooke

Please kindly leave some feedback on our blog, here are some questions to get the ball rolling:

1. Have you heard about the problems caused for children who are deaf?
2. Do you know feel more informed about the issues faced by deaf children?
3. Would you now be prepared to do any of the following to help improve the lives of deaf children:

• Make a donation to NDCS?
• Start or join a fundraising campaign?
• Sign an e-petition?
• Tell your family and friends about NDCS and try to persuade them to help in any of the ways before?

Even if you do not post a response – as well as if you do- please tell me where you come from i.e. your home town and country (if not the UK)!

 Thank you for taking the time to read,
Rachel and Brooke