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 7:11
Monday, November 21, 2005
And A Child Shall Lead Them
The Study of Deaf Children in a Thailand
Residential School
In her introduction of the 11th volume of the
Sociolinguistics in
Deaf Communities series, Ceil Lucas states plainly its significant
contribution: “The Rising of
Lotus Flowers: Self-Education by Deaf Children in Thai Boarding Schools gets at the heart of sociolinguistics in deaf
communities in its account of the essential role of language in education. It
describes the crucial intersection of linguistics and social interaction in the
context of the education of deaf children in Thailand. And it accomplishes three
things along the way: it provides a solid theoretical foundation for the study
of the role of language in deaf education that will be a very useful reference
for researchers, practitioners, and interested lay people; it places the story of
these Thai children in the context of generations of deaf children educated in
residential settings all over the world, demonstrating the role and power of the
residential school in forming Deaf identities; and it provides a simply
enthralling account of how the children in this setting assume the
responsibility for and accomplish the education of their younger peers.”
Authors Charles and Nipapon Reilly explain the rationale behind
their work by stating, “We observed, interviewed, and videotaped the children using indigenous
sign language freely during play and daily routines. We described how they
helped one another learn their first language, the norms of the school and
society, and worldly knowledge. By documenting the students’ interactions, we hope to show educators the importance of placing deaf children
together in schools that provide them opportunities for engaging in real-life
activity together.”
You can read more in chapter 2
“Education and Deaf
People in Thailand” now. And, by using your exclusive subscriber
discount, save 20% off the regular price when you order The Rising of Lotus
Flowers
online.
In the “Comments or Special Instructions” box below your credit card information, type in “NOV0520%.”
Or, order
by
mail.
 The
Study of Signed Languages: Essays in Honor of William C. Stokoe was
highlighted in the current issue of the Review of Disability Studies: An
International Journal: “During the 1950s, William Stokoe convinced skeptical
language scholars that signed language could have all of the complexity,
structure, precision and expressiveness of any spoken language, established sign
language as a subject worthy of scholarship, and helped legitimize the teaching
of sign language to deaf children. Appropriately, this volume offers eclectic
examples of the ways with which signed languages might be studied, and a variety
of reasons why signed languages should be studied. It should appeal to anyone
with general interests in language studies, sociology and/or cultural studies,
as well as to researchers of signed languages or Deaf culture.” Read the
complete review and the book’s
preface,
and
order The Study of Signed Languages.
 Wisconsin
Bookwatch, the library newsletter from The Midwest Book Review,
extols Robert Osgood’s
The History of
Inclusion in the United States: “Before the 1960s,
students considered disabled were as a matter of course segregated from their nondisabled peers; only in recent decades have such practices been challenged
and transformed into more integrative approaches that encourage more interaction
between children of all ability levels. Chapters delineate the evolution of more
inclusive and integrative approaches, pioneer individuals and legislation, and
educational policy questions debated in the present day. An excellent resource
for gauging the effects of history and recommendations for the future of special
education.” Learn more about how integrating children with disabilities originated in
chapter 3 “1960-1968:
Challenging Tradition in Special Education,” and
order The History of Inclusion in the United States.
 December
15, 2005, the early bird registration deadline for the international conference
Revolutions in Sign Language Studies: Linguistics, Literature, Literacy
on March 22-24, 2006, is steadily approaching. Keynote speakers Dan Slobin,
Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology, University of California,
Berkeley, CA; Ben Bahan, Professor, Department of American Sign Language and
Deaf Studies, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC; and Marlon Kuntze,
Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of California, Berkeley, CA, along with a host
of other noteworthy presenters and participants will discuss the latest research
on linguistics, sociolinguistics, literature, literacy and Deaf people, and all
other aspects of the study of sign languages. Save 10% off the full price of
admission by registering now! For more information, go online to
http://gupress.gallaudet.edu/gupiconference/index.html.
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