”hey, look at me!” interaction and well-being in the lives of deaf and hard-of-hearing children...
TRANSCRIPT
”Hey, look at me!”Interaction and well-being in the lives of deaf and hard-of-hearing children in Finland Children as experts of their everyday life
Maria Kaisa Aula, Ombudsman for Children in Finland26.9.2013 ENOC conference/workshop
13.9.2013Maria Kaisa Aula1
Children as experts on their own lifePhoto: Pori Centre for Children's Culture
What things in life are in order? At home, at school, at freetime
What things make you glad and happy?
What could be improved upon?
What would you like to influence?
www.lapsiasia.fi2
HEY - LOOK AT ME!Interaction and well-being in the lives ofdeaf and hard-of-hearing children inFinland (2012)
Interviews: 90 children (3 - 17 years) and 24 parents
Deaf researcher who knows Finnish sign language
survey to the rehabilitation centers at main hospitals
consulting with linguistics research Funding from Ministry of Education and
Culture Partners the Finnish Association of the
Deaf, the Finnish Association of Parents of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children
Making the voice of children heard inside the sign language, deaf and hard-of -hearing community
Inform people working with children about the situation of deaf and hard-of hearing children
Strengthening the cooperation between the operators involved
Recommendations to Finnish decision-makers (education, health rehabilitation)
Deaf and hard-of-hearing children about 1000 in Finland of them 320 child Cochlea implant (CI) users (2013) Sign language has official status in our constitutionMost children study at their local schools.
Different languages and
ways of communication
1) Deaf – sign language users, native sign language
2) Deaf – CI – implanted, sign language as second language
3) Hard of Hearing – CI speech language users
Some are born deaf Some became deaf later
www.lapsiasia.fi4
The best interests of the child ?!
Medical – doctors, therapies, rehability: focus in ”the ear”
Social – communication, family and their resources: ”life in practice”
Minority perspective: Sign language and culture of the deaf
Disabled/Special support -perspective
Lots of tensions between the perspectives and professions
Maria Kaisa Aula5
Rights of the child approach
right to best possible state of the health
right to own language and minority culture
rights of the disabled child
right to education
right to play and rest - to be a child
right to life and development to the full potential at your own pace
right to participate and have a say
right to get information
www.lapsiasia.fi6
Children have their own perspective”I’m deaf but I have a CI.”
”I’m either deaf or hard-of-hearing, it depends on thesituation.”
” I don´t want to fix my hearing,because this is who I am,you know, myself!” (a boy 11 years)
”My hearing aid is quite new andoften I forget to put them in inthe morning” (a girl 10 years)
”I wish I wasn't hard of hearing” Girl, 10“I´m just some deaf girl to them”
Maria Kaisa Aula7
“
ParentsSiblingsPeersHobbiesGood foodLearningPlayingRespectPositiveatmosphereHave a sayInformation
The need to be understood and to obtain information
To be able to sign as much as I like and not try to hear. To be allowed to just take the devices off and sign away. (Boy, 9)
It would be nice if they (the family) knew how to sign. At the moment, nobody understands what I am trying to sign. It would be nice if I could sign in the morning, when I have woken up and don't have the devices (implants) on yet. (Boy, 12)
I feel like I don't receive quite as much information as my friends, since they can hear better. (Boy, 15)
Maria Kaisa Aula9
Children commented often on the benefits of bilingualism (speech and sign language)
I like to use speech to make sure that I got it right. I don't always understand everything in sign language, so it's nice when the teacher talks as well. But I couldn't cope without sign language, I want to use both languages at the same time. (Girl, 16)
I can hear the teacher through my FM device, but I still have an interpreter, just in case. (Boy, 15)
Maria Kaisa Aula10
What about free-time and friends?
Feelings of loneliness are usual I don't hang out with the other kids in the neighbourhood that much, since I don't always feel up to trying to listen. My next-door friends do understand that I'm hard of hearing, but they can't always take that into account. There are games, in which I can't make out what is said or I get tired of trying to hear, so I don't join in. All my friends are at school, I never meet them in my free time. (Boy, 13)
I would like to have more friends. I have less and less of them every year. If I had more friends, I would like to talk to them. That would feel good. (Girl, 17)
Maria Kaisa Aula11
The right to communicate and to use your own languageWho decides on the language of children?
--- the psychologist said that learning to sign will impede the child's verbal development
(Parent, children aged 2 and 4).
--- the doctors didn't seem pleased with the parents' decision. We were pretty much left alone to face the fact. No peer support or anything like that was offered (Parent of 4-year-old).
Maria Kaisa Aula12
Recommendations Hearing, sign language and rehabilitation professionals must
consider the individual and practical needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing children and families: children as a whole person
Diverse initial information when the child is born as deaf or hard-of-hearing: informing on the benefits of bilingualism (speech and sing language)
Respect for the parents culture and decisions Flexible dialogue that facilitates cooperation across organisational
and diagnostic boundaries. Flexible methods of communication: Support for both sing language
use/learning and spoken language hearing conditions (school needs adjustments in acoustics, small groups etc)
Peer support and peer contacts for children are very important! Look at the children!
Maria Kaisa Aula13
We organized a workshop for all the actors in the field - many of them met for the first time.The tensions within the fields of hearing
and sign language must be defused further and converted into a resource for cooperation in the interests of deaf and hard-of-hearing children and families.
Maria Kaisa Aula14
Ask children themselves! Eelis and Juha belong to the
young advisers group of the Ombudsman for Children in Finland
Their message:
”Talk about your life as deaf or hardof-hearing persons. By sharing yourexperiences, you can inform and
influence decision-makers.”
Maria Kaisa Aula15
Thank You! www.lapsiasia.fi -> english language has more information
More information [email protected]
Maria Kaisa Aula16