Dana Miles: Unlocking Magic Potential in Deaf Students

Part 3 of 5 in a series

Dana Miles, the 2023 Washington State Teacher of the Year, has produced a multimedia project in partnership with OSPI. This five-part series is comprised of video interviews that Dana conducts with experts on Deaf education, as well as articles she wrote to accompany each video.

This is the third part of the series. Find all parts of the series here:

• Part 1: Creating Magic with Deaf Students
• Part 2: Exploring a Magical World for Deaf Students
• Part 3: Unlocking Magic Potential in Deaf Students
• Part 4: Equipping Deaf Students with Magic
• Part 5: Embarking on a Magical Journey for Deaf Students

Key Question

How do we ensure a strong start and foundation for Deaf children?

Introduction

One of the biggest issues in our Deaf community is language deprivation. Here are several facts from the Language Equality and Access for Deaf Kids (LEAD-K) campaign:

• “Average reading level by 18 years of age has remained at 3rd or 4th-grade level for more than half a century. Only 6% of deaf students scored proficient in English. 51% of deaf students scored at the ‘far below basic’ level, which is the lowest level of performance.”
• “Research has shown that the first 3 years of life are crucial for language development and the basis for kindergarten readiness. Early intervention programs for deaf children continue to be based on auditory language, spoken English, which, according to the growing research, does not ensure a deaf child’s full access to a language-rich environment.”

Deaf children not exposed to language before age 5 may struggle with normal language acquisition, which may impact their social, emotional, and cognitive development (Hall et al., 2017). To prevent this from happening, Deaf children need to be given full access to language. Providing children with a strong start in language will open many doors of opportunities for them. Since sign language is 100% accessible, Deaf children need to start signing as early as possible.

In this video, I interview Drew Treacy, who works for the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth (CDHY), which is an agency that serves Deaf and Hard of Hearing children throughout the state of Washington. She has an intensive background and knowledge of American Sign Language (ASL) as a former ASL specialist. Drew is also Deaf, which gives her an insight and in-depth understanding of the Deaf community, Deaf culture, and ASL.

About Drew Treacy

Drew Treacy is the K-8 Outreach Services Manager for the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth (CDHY), where she has worked since 2011 in roles as a paraeducator, teacher, and American Sign Language (ASL) specialist. Treacy has provided professional learning opportunities to school districts and statewide.

Guiding Discussion Questions

1. What should language access look like?
2. Why do you think that American Sign Language is heavily stigmatized even though it has been proven to be a complete language, with grammar rules, syntaxes, etc.?
3. How do we delicately navigate the rights of parents’ choice in choosing communication strategies for Deaf/Hard of Hearing children without delaying the language acquisition process?
4. When educators, researchers, and administrators say that hearing aids or cochlear implants are tools, not language, what do they mean by that?

Additional Resources

• Nyle DiMarco Foundation: What is Language Deprivation?
• Garrett Bose, ASL professor at San Diego State University: How to Prevent Deaf Children from Language Deprivation
• Language Equality and Acquisition for Deaf Kids (LEAD-K)
• LEAD-K: Mythbusters
• Language First, an ASL/English bilingualism resource for families and educators
• Science of Learning Center at Gallaudet University: Research Brief on Advantages of Early Visual Language
• Science of Learning Center at Gallaudet University: Research Brief on Family Involvement in ASL Acquisition
• National Association of the Deaf: Early Intervention for Infants and Toddlers
• Why I Sign, information about narratives shared using the #whyisign hashtag
• Mic: The strange reason deaf children aren’t taught sign language

DISCLAIMERS: This article was written by Dana Miles, the 2023 Washington State Teacher of the Year. The author’s opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints do not necessarily reflect those of OSPI, and publication of this story does not constitute OSPI’s approval or endorsement of its contents. With questions, please contact OSPI’s Communications team at commteam@k12.wa.us.

Dana’s use of the term “Deaf” includes, but is not limited to, different types of members of the deaf community: Deaf, deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, and DeafDisabled. Dana uses the term “sign language” in place of American Sign Language (ASL) to include all sign languages worldwide. The terms used here are meant to be inclusive.