DN Opinion. Hearing impaired children have less and less support

As a deaf sign language users with directorships at local and regional level in the Western Region, I see an increasingly harsher tone against the disabled, particularly the deaf and hard of hearing. You no longer want to support the people who do not hear, they'll get sign language in kindergarten, in school, in the workplace and within the culture.

What is it that happened? ”Social inclusion” is a term that is often used by hearing people without qualifications about what the deaf and hearing-impaired people need to be involved on equal terms.

to deaf and hard of hearing children to go on preschools with hearing, alone with the resource persons, and do not get the opportunity to meet other children who have a hearing impairment or deafness. Then they can identify themselves and language development sets the speed because they use sign language in a social context.

hearing-Impaired children who have hearing aids or implants, and that goes integrated in hearing schools are behind in education when they start in the middle and high school. Then they often start at the school for the deaf and hard of hearing, and is a beginner in sign language. They may start from the beginning in order to be able to keep up with the school.

I Myself have been integrated both in the pre-school and primary school. I have thought that I was alone in the whole world that being deaf until I was 9-10 years old. Imagine the feeling!

the feeling as I want to spare the child must have the opportunity for social interaction, language development, and identification with other children who have the same needs.

and with tolkcentralerna have begun to limit the use of teckenspråkstolkningen. A deaf worker has told me that she only gets two hours socialtolkning per month when she can socialise with other hearing via sign language interpreter.

Now funkofobin started to spread in society. It shows itself in the form of unwillingness to understand why we need sign language, sign language interpreters, and to people to get sign language training.

What is it that has happened?