Falling through the Cracks: Deaf New Americans and Their Unsupported Educational Needs
Members of the Deaf New American community reported they arrived in the United States with no formal education, unable to read or write in their native language, and had zero fluency in English. Efforts to educate them have floundered, and the study aims to find out why and how to fix the problem. I...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/1/35 |
| _version_ | 1827665871137406976 |
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| author | Michael A. Schwartz Brent C. Elder Monu Chhetri Zenna Preli |
| author_facet | Michael A. Schwartz Brent C. Elder Monu Chhetri Zenna Preli |
| author_sort | Michael A. Schwartz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Members of the Deaf New American community reported they arrived in the United States with no formal education, unable to read or write in their native language, and had zero fluency in English. Efforts to educate them have floundered, and the study aims to find out why and how to fix the problem. Interviews of eight Deaf New Americans yielded rich data that demonstrates how education policy in the form of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and other laws fail to address their needs, because these laws do not include them in their coverage. The study’s main findings are the deleterious effect of the home country’s failure to educate their Deaf citizens, America’s failure to provide accessible and effective instruction, and the combined effect of these institutional failures on the ability of Deaf New Americans to master English and find gainful employment. This article is an argument for a change in education policy that recognizes the unique nature of this community and provides for a role of Deaf educators in teaching Deaf New Americans. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:36:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-02f8dd908b4f4449b8e3ee6ea37b4003 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:36:06Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-02f8dd908b4f4449b8e3ee6ea37b40032023-11-23T13:32:52ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022022-01-011213510.3390/educsci12010035Falling through the Cracks: Deaf New Americans and Their Unsupported Educational NeedsMichael A. Schwartz0Brent C. Elder1Monu Chhetri2Zenna Preli3College of Law, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USACollege of Education, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USAAurora of Central New York, Syracuse, NY 13203, USAASL Independent Contractor, Syracuse, NY 13203, USAMembers of the Deaf New American community reported they arrived in the United States with no formal education, unable to read or write in their native language, and had zero fluency in English. Efforts to educate them have floundered, and the study aims to find out why and how to fix the problem. Interviews of eight Deaf New Americans yielded rich data that demonstrates how education policy in the form of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and other laws fail to address their needs, because these laws do not include them in their coverage. The study’s main findings are the deleterious effect of the home country’s failure to educate their Deaf citizens, America’s failure to provide accessible and effective instruction, and the combined effect of these institutional failures on the ability of Deaf New Americans to master English and find gainful employment. This article is an argument for a change in education policy that recognizes the unique nature of this community and provides for a role of Deaf educators in teaching Deaf New Americans.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/1/35Deaf New Americansaccess to communicationparental rightsspecial education policyaccess to sign languagesign language interpreters |
| spellingShingle | Michael A. Schwartz Brent C. Elder Monu Chhetri Zenna Preli Falling through the Cracks: Deaf New Americans and Their Unsupported Educational Needs Education Sciences Deaf New Americans access to communication parental rights special education policy access to sign language sign language interpreters |
| title | Falling through the Cracks: Deaf New Americans and Their Unsupported Educational Needs |
| title_full | Falling through the Cracks: Deaf New Americans and Their Unsupported Educational Needs |
| title_fullStr | Falling through the Cracks: Deaf New Americans and Their Unsupported Educational Needs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Falling through the Cracks: Deaf New Americans and Their Unsupported Educational Needs |
| title_short | Falling through the Cracks: Deaf New Americans and Their Unsupported Educational Needs |
| title_sort | falling through the cracks deaf new americans and their unsupported educational needs |
| topic | Deaf New Americans access to communication parental rights special education policy access to sign language sign language interpreters |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/1/35 |
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