A special Guest Vlogger, Liza Offreda shares an experience she had in her sophomore year when she was elected JRNAD president. There are two programs at the school; one is an oral program, and another a signing program. They segregate the Deaf students in the oral program are they are not allowed to be exposed to signing. Oral students met with Liza and wanted to join JRNAD. Liza was thrilled and invited them to JRNAD, however her principal decided to shut down the school's JRNAD program completely in order to avoid allowing oral students to participate in it. Liza couldn't speak out or she be would kicked out of school. She contacted NAD and asked for help, however NAD never responded to Liza.
Update: In NAD's defense, the NAD said that they never received an e mail from Liza Offreda. Both the NAD and NJAD said that they would have followed up on the situation involving Liza Offrenda, but they needed Liza to come down during the middle of week where Liza live in NJ, however, she is a full time student at Monticlar State University. NAD decided to put this issue on hold due to its (NAD's) upcoming conference, and Sean (the NAJD president) kept on insisting that Liza provide evidence, while he could have gone to Midland Park to see the situation for himself. He could have interviewed former students who were permitted to sign during the time when Kathleen Treni was not there. Just before Treni was assigned as a principal, the oral program was being taken over signing program and the students who were in the signing program were being place at another school in a run-down part of the city.
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35 comments:
Aidan and Liza,
I am glad that you brought up a school issue so we can be aware of what is happening with schools - Deaf schools and schools with deaf/hoh mainstreamed program/service. Knowledge is power. Thanks!
My heart tounched with pain knowing you and the zstudent didnt have JRNAD because the principal wasnt being opened mind. It is wrong for the principal to threat you like removing JRNAD. Sometimes it is easier to remove some kind of organization like this than facing the arguement with parents who wanted their child to continue in oral program and stay away from ASL/Deaf program. But again, if thats true, the parents are wrong, it should be the students decission because it is their deafness not the parents.
That is nothing new and AGB must go! I think the program at your old school should call S.H.I.T (Secondary Hearing Impaired Training) instead of S.H.I.P. I feel you and hope the law will prevent oral educators from forbidding Deaf students using ASL. You rock!
The oral deaf students' rights to join JrNad was denied by another brown-nose deafie, Kathleen.
Wonder what Mike McConnell, Paotie, Karen Mayes got to say about that?
Seems that "nice guys finish last", if you want to stop those colonializers, you'll need to raise hell about it.
Enough is Enough!
Sheesh! Why didn't NAD help them out? this is a shame and my gosh! segregation? this is absurd! Something needs to be done.
I am saddened to learn about this terrible oppression. As a member of NAD, I pass this post to NAD and hope that your message get across.
I hold Jr. NAD in my heart as for I am grateful that it has shaped for who I am today.
When did you contact the the NAD?
Can you do it again by contacting
NAD President Beth Scoggins directly at president@nad.org.
You might want to contact NAD's
Executive Director Nancy Bloch at bloch@nad.org and info@nad.org.
Also contact a deaf advocate Joey Baer at www.joeybaer.com.
Please do keep in touch with us.
We will work together with Deaf
Bilingual Coalition (DBC). Joey
Baer has more information about
DBC.
This is unacceptable and shows blatant discrimination. When did this happen?
Quick Q's!
Was the JrNAD segretated group recently occured or few years ago?
Don't you mind telling us when the systematic discrimination happens? Thanks!
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
This story is profound. It shows signing Deaf students being welcoming and open to interacting with other oral Deaf students, but being forbidden to! Pretty awful!
I'm curious, did the Deaf oral students WANT to be a part of Jr. NAD or did the signing Deaf students just want to invite them to participate?
Perhaps if the oral Deaf students also signed a petition showing that they want to be a part, and want to learn about Deaf culture and ASL, then you might have more power.
But, administrators often must follow parents mandates. if the parents 'forbid' their oral Deaf students to learn ASL, then you have a bigger challenge - to convince parents that it is beneficial for their student to be involved.
You are doing the right thing by contacting NAD. and by allowing Aidan to film you so this information spreads far and wide.
It is so sad and needs to be followed up. I look forward to seeing how this progresses. Don't give up. You're doing a good thing.
~ LaRonda
I couldn't believe this level of craziness. Thank you for sharing this with us.
The National Association of the Deaf is very busy. It has some position papers supporting something outrageous. Among them is supporting cochlear implants.
OOOOOOOOOOO-MMMM-GGGGG Liza!!!
Thank you for trying to get JRNAD together as unity, they (Kathleen) had NO right to tell you/or students who can or can't join.
This is just...heart-breaking.
Especially ...to see that NAD did nothing?
I better stop writing...before this gets out of hands! I can't believe JRNAD shut down, and NAD did nothing?
Grrrrrr!!!
I am member of NAD even though I am not in favor of NAD's responding. I went through in different circumstance and did send NAD a letter. Same, no respond. Showing NAD's ineffective supporting behalf our community. I’m disappointed to see another case like you.
Sigh. I sure hope this is just a misunderstanding. sometimes school officials have their hands tied and are unable of disclosing information which would violate FERPA laws, etc. etc.
Well, FACT FINDERS, Do your job!
I am sooo sorry that it happened and at the same time I truly hope that it was just a misunderstanding.
Anna S
Whooooaaa! I have problem with NAD. I tried to hold of them.They wont help me other issues.
I can see why oralism princpal won't allow the deaf/oralist student joined with deaf JrNAD without ASL combine with other deaf student.
Thanks for encouragement with oralist student want to learn ASL .. WELCOME THE ORALIST STUDENT CAN JOIN JRNAD!!!
Thank you for ASL music brought up!
Thanks to ASL music!
Wow, this blatant discrimination and oppression hits one between the eyes!
What makes it worse is that it was done to teenagers, who are way beyond the stage of "if a child signs he will not learn to speak" --even if that old canard was true!
The crazy old audistic coot who pulled this off deserves to be exposed and corrected.
This is 21st century and audism is still rampant! This is absurd! The oral schools and those creeps need to get the f_ck out of our lives! They are liars and dishonest!
I am sick and tired of audists ruining everything we love and do.
It is time to declare war on audism!
May the Force be with us!
=)
That is nothing new about NAD. I am not in favor of NAD. I was in similar situation as JBaldridge and I never receive any response from NAD either so I will not support or donate money to their organization at all. NAD absolutely did nothing!!! Talk is CHEAPER! Do something about it, NAD!!!
It touches my heart because Jr.NAD taught me so much about leadership. I hope someone will start some kind of mass email to NAD to wake them up. They need to re-prioritize their focus and we need to push for that.
Liza - do not give up and you are already our fine young leader and we need you!!!
Aiden and Liza,
I must totally agree with Dianrez.
It is beyond my comprehension because it was only several days ago when the NAD president Scoggins showed up in her vlog,
re-asserting the NAD''s FULL
commitment to ASL.
I am totally lost because it is
unethical to deny sign language
against the oralists' wishes.
That is very undemocratic! Very
unAmerican, too.
Can you send AN OPEN BLOG
specifically to the NAD with the
first W-question: "Why.....?"
I would like to provide addition information after Carl's vlog on underground JR. NAD. Make sure the newspaper reporter provide accurate facts. They can make mistake by provide misleading information and you end up looking bad.
Meeting will help sort the information what to release. I strongly encourage you to develop talking points and make sure they share the same information. If they don't, you will look weak and the administration can pick on your misinformation and spin it off.
Assemble your messages careful. It is powerful when oralists speak out because it shows that they are being segregated and yet you welcome them with open arm. Resonate the how Jr. NAD and working together will help in your social development.
Be prepare, they may play the game by that using ASL and they will not improve their speech abilities. ASL is bad and that is why they are being separated. Being separated from you is just like they put you on Megan's Law List. Be prepare on how powerful ASL and beneficial it will be.
Be prepared and you will fight the battle beautifully. We are ready to back you up. Please do let NAD be aware so they can provide aid when they can.
Iam shocked your story hit my heart and it truly sad situation.
Iam so glad you are brave to tell your story on Vlog what happened and let us know and the knowledge is important to us. thank you for sharing.
For those who could contact Midland High School on behalf of students;
Midland High School
Website
http://bcss.bergen.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=423&Itemid=1696SHIP
Midland Park Jr/Sr High School
250 Prospect Street
Midland Park, NJ 07432
(201) 444-8882
(201) 679-6198 Fax
Principal: Kathleen Treni, kattre@bergen.org
Secretary: Viviana Torres, vivtor@bergen.org
I did already!
Just give them this website;
http://deafbilingualcoalition.com/
Thank you,
John Egbert
I am not surprised at NAD for doing nothing. We must establish our new goals for a new organization. We have struggled with our rights in the society. NAD definitely is not there for us. Let's go for a new organization.
What I see in Bobbie's talking, it is so cheap. They wanted us to join the membership without a cause. Come on.
Ouch, it is difficult! Hope NAD will do something about to save JRNAD.
you go girl!!!
Hi Aidan and Liza,
Liza, please do not do it alone yourself. Hope someone you know will help you too like teamwork. If you work alone, you will be WORN OUT so easily. Here's my copy and paste link:
http://aslisrisen.blogspot.com/2007/12/deaf-mainstream-meet-parents-about.html
Thank you so much, Aidan and Liza for sharing this awesome video! Big hugs, Shawn
I would like to know when this happened so that we all would be able to know if we can address the issue. It can be addressed only if it happened within 2 years from date and if there's currently somebody in the school who would be willing to set up JRNAD again. But it's a direct violation for a public school to force a club to act discriminatory on the basis of linguistics.
hello everyone, I am so happy to hear from all of you and all your support is appreciated!! The JRNAD issue happened 4 years ago when I was in HS...after I graduated Midland Park High School now prohibits interpreters and Deaf students that are not oral to be admitted. If you require an interpreter and use ASL, you have to attend another high school in Hackensack, NJ. SEGREGATION IS WRONG!!!! We need to stop this in Deaf Education! Thank you so much for your support!
-Liza Offreda
If liza and deaf students get their parents involed with your jr nad then parents can file complaint at their district means school district supt.
If someone would write a real petition letter, then I am sure many Deaf or Oralism would sign up. This is like they did to me when I was in Deaf school, I was signing ASL in my dormitory and then when I went to class, I couldnt sign ASL at all. If I did sign then the teacher would dermit me. I was in a confusing world at Deaf school. Now things have change they allow ASL and total communication together. That is better than nothing. I read the NAD president's remarks about supporting ASL. If NAD cannot do anything to help you then what is good with NAD, be better off to have another organization that can speak out for our Deaf's rights.
Same old story about NAD...sigh I understand the load of issues this office is handling now. It would be helpful if NAD can do something to improve their structure of workload in a timely manner. Every issues this office has are important, yet this recent issue about JrNAD needs to be dealt with soon as possible. Just think..teenagers' times in schools are VERY SHORT compared to lifetime of adulthood, and my belief is that their early exposure to leadership skills are essential to their bright future. I urge you to put more pressure on this issue
Hi Liza,
I had been a Jr.NAD advisor at three different schools. I can imagine how you went through. You have to keep in mind that the Principal has a right to establish or demolish any organization at his or her school.
The best things for you to do are:
1. Get your former Jr.NAD officers and advisor sit with the principal to discuss some things and encourage the principal to allow you revive the chapter.
2. The famous expression is Take it or Leave it. If your prinicpal does not want the oralists to join Jr. NAD, follow his rule whether or not you like. Eventually the principal may change the rule.
3. If it does not work, ask the Jr NAD advisor to help you to contact the State Association of the Deaf president to come to your school to talk about the values of Jr. NAD.
4. If it does not work, then get the NAD Region 1 representative to come to your school to talk with your principal.
5. If it does not work, then get NAD rep to do the same thing.
If it does not work, then you contact the community people to allow to have you have Jr.NAD in the community instead of school. Then everyone can join JR NAD.
Liza, GOOD LUCK!!!
Sandra Goldstein
Liza,
Don't give up! Keep pestering NAD!
Make a pention to your oralism friends'parents.That should help.
Ur principal have no right to tell you that. Don't worry...unless u have Jr.N.A.D. By-Laws with u. So, that By-Laws will save u and for the Oralism. Please, don't give up for ur right and the Oralism's right! I suggest u sue ur principle right away! Don't wait too long.
Read this....
LEGAL REPRESENTATION:
The NAD LAC has protected the legal rights of deaf and hard of hearing people through the courts since 1976. It vigorously seeks enforcement of federal and state laws and to establish powerful legal principles of equality and equal access. NAD LAC attorneys represent deaf and hard of hearing individuals in carefully selected cases, and also provide technical assistance to lawyers who represent deaf or hard of hearing clients.
Based on available resources, the NAD LAC selects those cases which appear to present the best mixture of legal and factual issues to be successful. It identifies cases that will have the widest possible impact and that will be the most helpful to the overall interests of the deaf and hard of hearing community.
ADVOCACY:
JR.N.A.D. and N.A.D advocates on legislative and public policy issues of concern to the deaf and hard of hearing community, particularly at the federal level, and often in collaboration with other disability related organizations. The issues are broad: captioning, communication, education, employment, emergency preparedness, health care, rehabilitation, security, technology, telecommunications, and transportation.
Now, very important that we ought to focus on Languages.
Languages is an education.
ASL, Oralism, Forgein Languages even Bilingual are all educational. Not hurt to learn one another! I was native Oralism untl I was 16 and learned ASL. I love ASL! I still use oral becuz of my family. They do not know sign langages. I am not blaming my family for not using sign language becuz they were not aware of Deaf Culture back then. But now they do becuz I am very active with Deaf Culture. They accepted for who I am. I thanked my family for encourage and support me to try learn many things. I also learn Spanish language because of my son's father's family speak spanish. See this is my point for not hurting to learning something new. We need to encouage the Oralism to particpate to learn but not to limit them! I know what is like to be oralism. It was tough but in a way I enjoyed learning to speak but I also want to learn ASL. Because I want to be able to understand deaf people in ASL. It is all about experinece skill communcating. So, I won't feel left out. I feel sorry for Oralism. They are like prisoner in their own world. We do not have to stop their learning to speak but help them to involve the deaf activities.
Ur principle needs to learn more about Deaf Culture. Should not to limit Oralism. Ur principle seem not understand the meaning of education. Strange that ur principle have an education degree? That is truly sad. This case should resolve soon as possible. We don't want another other victim have to go though same problem as urs. Let us know how it turns out in the court! I know u can do it! Don't be afraid. Do it for deaf and hard of hearing people especially for Oralism. If u do that. We will concern u a "HERO". Go for it! Hurry up! lol I wish u the best of luck!
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