LILIAN FLORES Ph.D., LSLS Cert AVT®

INVESTING IN FAMILY SUPPORT CONFERENCE

Scottsdale, Arizona

October 4 - -6, 2009

Crossing the Intercultural Bridge for Families: Experiences in working with Non-English Speaking Families

PRESENTATION

1. Background

2. Demographic Data

3. Estimates of Deaf Population in USA

4. Main Problems

5. Ideas for today and for the future

PRESENTATION

1. Background

2. Demographic Data

3. Estimates of Deaf Population in USA

4. Main Problems

5. Ideas for today and for the future

MEXICO AND USA NEIGHBORHOOD

1776: USA Independence

1819: Treat with Spain LouisianaNeighborhood with “New Spain”

1821: Mexico Independence Real start of neighborhood with Mexico

1847: New borders until now

BACKGROUND

USA-NUEVA ESPAÑA-MEXICO BORDERS (1819-1821)

USA-MEXICO BORDER (1847until now)

DIFFERENCES USA / MEXICO

-POLITICAL

2 vs 6 parties; electoral vs personal votes; different campaign finance

- ECONOMIC

Per capita annual income: 11,800 vs 48,000. Inflation: 0.1 vs 5.8%

-SOCIO-CULTURAL

Different story, culture, beliefs, expectations, codes of personal and social conduct

-ETHNIC

Whites, African, Asia, Latino and Hispanic, Native American... immigrants

Mestizo, Nahua, Maya, Zapotecs, Mixtecs, Totonacs and 56 more groups

-LINGUISTIC

English..... Spanish....

HISPANIC EMIGRATION TO USA

WHY DO THEY EMIGRATE?

Dreadful economic situation Search for better income

Immigrants don’t want to compete for jobs

They get jobs unacceptable by the majority of workers

Immigrants don’t destabilize the economy

> Productivity

> Pay taxes

HISPANIC EMIGRATION TO USA

HOW DO THEY ARRIVE?

Payment of high charges Losing of money

Dealt of dangers Desert, lack of water, persecution, rape

Leave habits, food, friends, family

Changes, isolation, uproot

Face up to unknown celebrations

Thanksgiving... July 4th...

Main Problem: LANGUAGE To understand, speak, read or write

PRESENTATION

1. Background

2. Demographic Data

3. Estimates of Deaf Population in USA

4. Main problems

5. Ideas for today and for the future

DEMOGRAPHIC DATA Population projections of USA Population (millions)

2009 311.1

2010 312.2

2020 342.4

2030 378.5

2940 420.6

2050 451.7

SOURCE: 2008 US Census Bureau data

300

350

400

450

500

2009 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050California (2008): 36.8 Texas (2008): 24.9 2 States: 1/5

TX + CA (2050): around 90 millions

U.S. POPULATION 1960-2010 Share of total, by racial and ethnic groups (millions)

U.S. HISPANIC POPULATION: 1970-2050

Source of Data and Year

Hispanic Population (in millions)

Percent Hispanic of the total population

Census

1970 9.6 4.7

1980 14.6 6.4

1990 22.4 9.0

2000 35.3 12.5

Projections

2010 47.8 15.5

2020 59.7 17.8

2030 73.0 20.1

2040 87.7 22.3

2050 102.6 24.4

SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2000 Decennial Censuses; Population Projections, July 1, 2010 to July 1, 2050. Internet Release Date: February 08, 2008

PERCENT HISPANIC OF THE TOTAL POPULATION (1970-2050)

SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2000 Decennial Censuses; Population Projections, July 1, 2010 to July 1, 2050. Internet Release Date: February 08, 2008

0

5

10

15

20

25

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

%

BIRTHS AND NATALITY IN U.S.

Source: Census Bureau downloadable data files. Births: Preliminary Data for 2006 National Vital Statistice Reports (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) 56 (7): 6, 5, Dec. 2007, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr56/nvsr56_07.pdf, retrieved 2008-09-08

Number of Births (2006): 4,265,5552,309,833 (54.15%) non-Hispanic Whites 617,220 (14.47%) non-Hispanic Blacks 47,494 (1.11%) American Indians 239,829 (5.62%) Asians 1,039,051 (24.36%) Hispanics

Birth rate: 14.2 per 1,000 population (2007)11.6 for non-Hispanic Whites14.8 for American Indians 16.5 for non-Hispanic Blacks and Asians23.4 for Hispanics

BIRTHS AND NATALITY IN U.S.

Sources: - Births: Final Data for 2006 www.cdc..gov/nchs/fastats/births.htm - http://pewresearch.org/pubs/729/united-states-population-projections

Pew Research Center: 2005: 296 million 2050: 438 million

82% of 142 million (117 million): due to immigrants and descendants

2005: 1/8 2050: 1/4

+ 142

Americans are immigrants

PROBLEMS LINKED WITH NEWBORNS

Source:  Green J, CNN, May 10, 2006

- 2 million babies die within 24 hours each year worldwide. USA has the 2nd worst newborn mortality rate in the developed world: Newborn mortality is 2.5 times higher in US than in Finland and Norway. 5 deaths / 1,000 live births in US, Hungary, Malta, Poland and Slovakia

- Higher newborn death rates among US minorities and disadvantaged groups. i.e.: African-Americans : 9.3 deaths / 1,000 births

-US: more neonatologists and NIC beds / person than Australia, Canada and UK

- Hispanics will make up 29% of the U.S. population in 2050 (14% in 2005)

- The non-Hispanic white population will increase more slowly than other racial and ethnic groups; whites will become a minority (47%) by 2050.

US CENSUS POPULATION PROJECTIONS (2008-2050)

Source:  American FactFinder Help: Hispanic or Latino origin. U.S. Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/home/en/epss/glossary_h.html. Retrieved 2008-06-13.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

non-H whites Hispanic Afr-Amer Asian-Amer NHW-2050 Others-2050

2008 2050

%

minority

PRESENTATION

1. Background

2. Demographic Data

3. Estimates of Deaf Population in USA

4. Main problems

5. Ideas for today and for the future

ESTIMATES OF DEAF POPULATION IN USA

Source of Data and Year

HISPANIC Deaf Population 2/1,000 (in thousands)

TOTAL Deaf Population 2/1,000 (in thousands)

Census

1970 19,200 408,500

1980 29,200 456,200

1990 44,800 497,700

2000 70,600 565,000

Projections

2010 95,600 616,800

2020 119,400 670,800

2030 146,000 726,400

2040 175,400 786,600

2050 205,200 841,000

SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2000 Decennial Censuses; Population Projections, July 1, 2010 to July 1, 2050. Internet Release Date: February 08, 2008

ESTIMATES OF HISPANIC DEAF POPULATION IN USA (Thousands)

SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2000 Decennial Censuses; Population Projections, July 1, 2010 to July 1, 2050. Internet Release Date: February 08, 2008

020406080100120140160180200220

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

76,400 in 50 yrs

109,600 in 40 yrs

1,520 / year

2,770 / year

Increment: > 80% / year in the next

40 yrs

PRESENTATION

1. Background

2. Demographic Data

3. Estimates of Deaf Population in USA

4. Main Problems

5. Ideas for today and for the future

MAIN PROBLEMS

PILOT SURVEY

- Directed to Spanish-Speaking families with deaf children

- 46 Families investigated

- 7 Open-Answer questions

- Comments

- CA, TX, FL & NY

OUTCOMES

1.- Did you feel that your lack of command in English, turn on a very limited situation to face the deafness of your child?

95.5

4.5

YES NO

OUTCOMES

2.- If you answered yes, please give us some examples of what you went through.

ANSWER n %

We were not able to understand what the

audiologist and the rest of the professionals

were explaining to us.

42 95.5

We couldn’t make them specific questions, and to explain them exactly our fears, worries, and thoughts

42 95.5

We had an interpreter that spoke a kind of “funny” Spanish

12 26.1

We though that we were not going to be able to face that challenge

39 84.8

OUTCOMES

3.- Did you count with an interpreter when you received your child’s diagnosis?

26.1

73.9

YES NO

OUTCOMES

4.- Once you started your (re)habilitation program, did you received the adequate restraint, support, and orientation?

17.4

13

69.6

YES-Understandable SpanishYES- limited with interpreterNO-Orientation only in English

OUTCOMES

5.- If you counted with the interpreter’s services, did you feel comfortable with him / her?

8.3

91.7

YES links broken or nonexistent

OUTCOMES

6.- Would you like to receive the rehabilitation services in your mother language?

95.5

4.5

YES NO

OUTCOMES

7.- If you answered yes, please tell us why.

ANSWER n %

They would like to understand precisely what is the professional doing, and speaking to the child.

42 95.5

They would like to make affordable two languages for their kid.

40 86.9

They would like to be able to express all their doubts, and feelings to the professional, and be sure he/she is going to understand them.

41 89.1

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

COMMENTS n %

They would like to be able to teach their child to listen, and speak in their mother language

42 95.5

They would like to be able to use the heart’s language 1 2.1

They regret their difficulties to find information, books, and magazines in Spanish. This will help them to understand, to learn, and to get more knowledge about the big challenge of their kid’s deafness.

41 89.1

They would like to belong and participate actively in associations who cares about deafness and hard of hearing. Unfortunately, most of the information, web pages, flyers and magazines are in English.

40 86.9

The selection for their kid’s candidacy for the cochlear implant was much more difficult.

26 56.5

They were immediately sent to a TC rehabilitation program and no to AVT, because of their condition as Hispanics

19 41.3

PRESENTATION

1. Background

2. Demographic Data

3. Estimates of Deaf Population in USA

4. Main Problems

5. Ideas for today and for the future

IDEAS & IMMEDIATE PROPOSALS

Have the willing to work with these families, a real team

Understand and find your own differences

Understand that to raise a deaf child is a challenge

To raise a child outside their country, being alone, and not understanding the language...worst grief situation

Understand GLOBALY how this situation affects the families

In general, low income

IDEAS & IMMEDIATE PROPOSALS

Work near, in a supportive and loving way to encourage them to talk to their children

Handle some of the racial discrimination feelings

Information and study about cultural traditions & values

Help them to transfer language and speech perception tasks in their daily life, and in their “life´s way”

IDEAS & IMMEDIATE PROPOSALS

Try to understand what they feel, and how they face deafness

Involve, and engage all the the family´s members (videotape)

Let them observe some sessions in English

Train also professionals in Spanish (Spanish Rehab gropus)

Put them in contac with other hispanic families

Hear, and give them the time to explain you their feelings

PROPOSALS FOR THE FUTURE

Encourage asociations to translate materials, books, magazines, WEB pages, AVT test, etc. ( ie. AG Bell)

Include some specific subjects for the degree program curricula at the University

Change the legislation to make them more available the health, and rehabilitation services

Media campaigns to aware the society & politicians

PROPOSALS FOR THE FUTURE

Encourage asociations to translate materials, books, magazines, WEB pages, etc. ( ie. AG Bell, Hands & Voices, etc)

Courses to train good interpreters in this field

Include some specific subjects for the degree program curricula at the University

Change the legislation to make them more available the health, and rehabilitation services, also aloud some Spanish programs

Make agreements with Latin American universities to promote interchanges of American and Hispanic students

Turn off the Spanish TV if you want to learn good English

Sorry...BUT Univision ranks as the number one TV station in California...an in the US