Enjoy Engage write me: 1442A Walnut St. #139, Berkeley, CA 94709

2011

2011-12-29T14:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Old Year. Enjoy every moment of 2011, before rushing into that which is not.

Happy Day.

I need to meet a writing deadline, so see you next year.

signing off,

susan schaller

Thanksgiving Everyday

2011-11-28T08:21:00.000-08:00

When we fear someone's difference, we cheat ourselves. When we open ourselves to learning from all people, we grow. Each of us are mirrors of each other. Therefore when I learn more from you, I learn more about myself. This is obvious when we travel to another culture. We would never see what we assume, until we leave our culture and language and bump up against a completely different set of assumptions. I never knew I was an American, until I left the United States.

I never knew I was hearing, until I met a Deaf person. I never knew how blind I was until I met the superior visual brains of people born deaf. They use much more of the brain's cortex for processing visual information than we, hearing people, do. My wish, before I die, is that people will talk more about that than about how to make deaf babies speak and hear.

In answer to the questions about my second book which was going to be published, it has morphed into a much better book. I did get a contract, but the censorship was so great that I didn't sign the contract. The good news is the book changed. Instead of The Languageless Tribe, I am writing a new book, Helen Keller's Mirror. It will contain some of the stories I have gathered for over a decade that were in the old book.

ASL Tales also took over my attention. Actually, my second book will be "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" with ASL Tales, in a couple of months.

Write me if you want to help me update and improve my website.

susan of susanschaller.com

Almost October-Imagine

2011-09-23T06:47:00.000-07:00

Imagine if we can rise above our differences and distinctions. Imagine if we can learn from those who are different from us, instead of asking, "What's wrong with them?"

I am hoping and working on ASL Tales and other projects which will be bridges and links to others who appear different, but are not. They are mirrors of us. We are all mirrors of each other. The more we accept others as just other bits of humanity, the more we learn about ourselves. You are not you by yourself and I am not me alone.
Specifically, we, hearing people, can learn how to see so much better if we learn from Deaf people who are geniuses at seeing.

Don't take my word for it, check out ASL Tales and see for yourself.

enjoy this day
susan

July Lies Waiting for August Action

2011-07-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

My blogging seems to have been non existent for June. I enjoyed café, face-face conversations, instead - How Old fashioned!

Whether blogging, talking in words or signs, reading or waxing eloquent on stage, we all love this symbol trading. We, humans, spend most of our time sharing symbols. We can't be human without other humans. Prisoners in solitary confinement, abused children or adults cowering under covers and deaf children not exposed to their natural, visual language - all haunt me. They are reminders of our first step to healing this hurting world, to connecting to our humanity. We must free ourselves, all of us, from our respective prisons.

Language connects us and helps us hold on to others who can guide us to doors or windows to freedom. Instead of blogging, I've been planning a language and literacy campaign to be launched in September. I, by myself, cannot achieve such a thing. However, a team of symbol mongers can. I'm out on the streets and byways (virtually and physically) shaking hands and collecting ideas.

Send questions, comments, suggestions - any helpful symbols - to help us get language and reading and writing skills to all our children.

Bilingual May Flowers

2011-05-03T07:46:00.000-07:00

Spring into action and more action. Hopefully, ASL Tales can capture the attention of teachers, schools, libraries, literacy programs, ESL programs, and parents in order to teach language, literacy and multiculturalism to all kinds of kids. It is such fun and brings families together, in many languages, the word must get out there to help launch our children with the magic of storytelling, in visual and aural languages.

If you know anyone in education or parenting or childcare or pediatricians, send them my way. Also, send any ideas or suggestions on how to inform people about ASL Tales. Instead of working directly in public health (the area of my professional degree), I realized how much ASL Tales could prevent substance abuse, depression, teenage pregnancy and other public health problems associated with kids dropping out of their lives, because of frustration and lack of confidence in reading and connecting. Literacy and storytelling, especially in many languages, are great connectors to our human family.

Help me in my "public health" work, bringing language, literacy and laughter to children and families. Write any suggestions, or questions on how you can get involved, and if you want to donate to our literacy campaign, send a tax-deductible donation (check) to the above address.

Yours for language, literacy and more languages with laughter,

susan schaller

Berkeley version of Hansel & Gretel

2011-04-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

While rewriting Grims' very grim, violent Hansel and Gretel, I thought why not change the world for everyone. Soon, ASL Tales will publish Hansel and Gretel where the witch is offered a choice to change her cannabalistic ways. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught us not to fight the white man, but racism. Perhaps applying that principle to this violent fairy tale will raise a more mindful generation.

ASL Tales wants to change the world for all kids and their families. Watch for our new web site in June (hope, hope), and great stuff coming out - more books and iPads and learning tools.

Please send me any ideas or questions relating to bilingual storytelling to teach reading, language and more language.

And, enjoy April rains or flowers,

susan schaller

ASL Tales in Los Angeles

2011-03-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Los Angeles where new programs, new books, DVDS and surprises have been and are being planned and fussed over.

Today, I head back to Berkeley via the train.

As I speed north on Amtrak, ASL Tales will speed along with me and my faithful laptop.

Stay tuned for the next exciting adventure in bilingual storytelling.

If you haven't checked us out - go to ASL Tales.net

....... not after your coffee NOW!

For language and literacy,
susan

Life is either a Daring Adventure or Nothing at All

2011-02-15T11:35:00.000-08:00

Life is short and each day does matter. Today, I am researching how bilingualism can help children learn to read, think better, see better (English and ASL). Why is signing so attractive to almost all kids? Perhaps it is because it is one step closer to universal communication via body language, facial expressions, mime and movement. Anyone out there in cyberland who knows anything about early education or literacy or teaching ESL, write me and tell me what you think are the main problems facing teachers, schools, students and parents in early education.
Or, write me directlym at susan.schaller a t g m a i l . co...

Youra for language for EVERYONE,
susan

Happy New Year

2010-12-30T07:51:00.000-08:00

Dear cyber world, friends, neighbors and comrades,

Enjoy the last days of December by slowing down to appreciate any and all things you can.

Take some time to give something to others instead of spending your time and energy on what you can manipulate in your favor.

Be the best you can be, today. Be good to your family and friends by taking care of yourself.

Peace can be. Begin today.

Prepare for joy in 2011.

Yours for community building,
susan

December descends

2010-12-12T06:34:00.000-08:00

I'm back and have been immersed again in activity. Currently, I am in Southern California meeting with a film maker who is inspired to tell the film version of Ildefonso's story of entering our world of language.

I have been able to see Ildefonso more than usual. He has a wonderful sense of humor, and a big heart. With years of language, he has attached labels - names and dates - to some memories. I made a mistake in the book, thinking he was an adult when he came to the U.S. and did apple-picking and other work. He was about 8 years old and alone.

This guy never ceases to surprise me.

Yours for preventing any baby from being raised with little or no language,

susan

Back after a sabbatical

2010-10-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

Dear World,

I didn't retreat entirely or go live in a cave, but I did step down from a few projects, stepped back from planning and committing, and stayed a while in that uncomfortable place of not knowing. I am disheartened by so many people's inability to see deaf babies and Deaf people as human first, and different from the majority second. And, especially, parents who do not accept their visual babies as differently abled, but as deficient and needing to be fixed.

With my discouragement, often self doubts appear and questions about who am I to think I can write and speak and spark any change in a war, that has been waging against deaf babies ever since someone tried to educate a deaf child. In the past, I respond with more activity and more involvement and drive myself more. The last two months, I did not.

I decided to stay in the "I don't know" place. I squirmed, I chased away black clouds, I squelched my impulses to run away or jump into another battle, and I sat. It helped that my foot has been hurting and I couldn't walk most of the time, but, mostly, I was training myself to face uncomfortable truths, to look inside of me to improve my tolerance for differences, my receptive and acceptance skills, and my abilities to change. I discovered (surprise, surprise) that it is much harder than attempting to influence others to change.

And, that is why it is so uncomfortable.

It is absolutely necessary to face inward with honesty in order to move forward with honesty, to face inward with compassion to move forward with compassion, to face inward with forgiveness and love, to move forward with forgiveness and love, and to align our inner principles in order to move forward from an integrated foundation.

Onward, forward to the fray, but slower and more consciously,

susan "I don't know" schaller

what fun

2010-08-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

How ironic! I, an advocate for visual language for visual people, am on national public radio.

Enjoy life. Accept and enjoy ironies.

why not

AUG! Those August AUdists!

2010-08-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

What is the reaction to Deaf people who say "audists" for doctors, augiologists, teachers and parents who forbid visual language for visual people (I know,it sounds crazy, but that insanity is the message given by over 90% of Ear, Nose, Throat Doctors)?

They are called crazy - militant or fanatical.

For over thirty years, I've been wondering how I can share my experience of meeting a beautiful and rich culture and language, based on vision, that would change the perspective of parents and the medical world.

How can we appreciate what others have instead of what is different or missing?

I welcome any ideas, suggestions or descriptions of any successful projects. Until then, let's ask all our friends and neighbors to buy ASL Tales at ASLTales.net, and help bilingual storytelling take off. If you would like to send in a donation, I will buy one and put it in a doctor's office. Or, you buy one for your local pediatrician. There's an idea, let's organize pediatricians around this. I think they would see the need for language in babies, over the need to fantasize about making the baby "normal."

I look forward to any comnmunication.

July to July to July to Today

2010-07-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

Dear All,

I am back home after traveling for a month,and feeling very appreciative of home, friendly faces and familiarity. Mostly, I loved seeing my kids, again. I am glad I spent so much time listening to their discoveries, bad jokes, silly stories and musings. My work today and for as many days as I have is to encourage parents and families to talk to and listen to their children, in all modes available.

My trip to the Rockies, Canada, New York state, New Hampshire and Texas was to spread the word about a great tool for connecting to our children - ASL TALES. Bilingual quality storytelling, in English and American Sign Language (DVD in the back of the book) is accessible through eyes and ears, including translations in 5 languages.

Please communicate to any young people in your lives - present them with an ASL TALES book - ASLTales.net.

Yesterday, my story of meeting Ildefonso, a languageless man appeared in Daily Good (linked above). Ildefonso changed my life, making me dedicated to the task of preventing any baby from growing up without language (or seriously delayed in learning language). ASL Tales is wonderful and valuable for ALL kids, making it more possible that it will actually reach deaf babies. Please write me and ask how you can help, in addition to visiting ASLTales.net

Or,just write me and say hello.

June to Denver, Toronto, New York, Texas,...

2010-06-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome to June, more beginnings and endings. As another school year finishes, the summer ushers in change and more change.

I'm off to Colorado Springs and Denver next week, then on to Toronto. Through all the handshaking and talking, one theme will travel: language and literacy, literacy and language. My new task, expanding and building ASL Tales's programs and more tales, will connect me to many people working to bring language, literacy and a good start to little kids, in the home, at schools and in libraries.

Please write me at susan.schaller (at) gmail.com to let me know anyone who would like to collaborate on early education literacy and language projects. Let's all show up for our children.

And, if you haven't looked, check out asltales.net

Yours for language and more language for all kids,
susan

May Multilingual Flowers

2010-05-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

Happy May and Happy News:

ASL Tales is springing into action with more wonderful fairytale and fable books, written in English and accompanied by a wonderful Deaf storyteller, signing in ASL, with voice over in many languages.

One Hispanic boy reported that he followed the ASL with the help of the Spanish translation, and it made him want to learn the English so he could read the book.

Yes and yes and yes to ASL Tales. Please tell all your friends, start buying birthday and holiday gifts for all your little friends and relatives.

Language and more language blooming all over.

Go ASL Tales, go.

Chicago to Sacramento to Berkeley

2010-03-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

Traveling also upsets schedules and routines and blog habits.

Good day, all. So much has happened, I will begin at the end and fill you in at my next blog. I have just finished an article on James Castle. Here is the beginning (draft). The editor of Works & Conversations is editiing it this week - I will get the final version to you soon.
Keep Talking, James Castle

My 19-yr-old son is enjoying not having an everyday mother, and sometimes pretends he is in a different city from me. I was grateful, therefore, when he called and informed me that BAM, the Berkeley Art Museum, was exhibiting the work of a languageless deaf man, knowing I would be interested since meeting such an unimaginable person changed my life. I wrote about meeting the languageless, adult Ildefonso in A Man Without Words (UC Press, Berkeley).

I was also grateful to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, BAM and many others who brought James Castle to us. I read the latest (January/February 2010) “BAM/PFA Art & Film Notes” introducing me to James Castle, born deaf in 1899 into a rural, hearing family, in Idaho. I read: “Although he attended the Idaho School for the Deaf and blind, Castle did not learn to read, write, speak, sign, or lip read, perhaps by chose.” And, “Castle’s fascination with images…– postcards, magazines, and advertising flyers – certainly was fueled by the Garden Valley years when every sort of matter and printed paper passed through the family post office and general store. Packaging, calendars, and comics all caught his eye. He would copy images precisely and then use them in part and whole in various other drawings and handmade books.” [Lucinda Barnes, p. 6 BAM/PFA Art & Film Notes]

A film by Jeffrey Wolfe at BAM, my next stop, showed artists comparing his art to other art and James Castle to other artists. Family members described a boy who took his drawings to family gatherings and to every visitor. One relative said the mother did everything for him, allowing him to draw all day. An old Deaf man appeared, signing that his research showed that “James Castle” appeared on the books of the Idaho School for the Deaf, for five years. The Deaf man explained that the pedagogy James would have been exposed to, oralism, focused on speech: “ his hands would have been hit with a ruler, and he would be forced to sit on them” In my imagination, I saw the languageless, deaf boy attempting to ask where he was, why had his parents abandoned him. The answer was the ruler hitting his hands. Speech therapy techniques for deaf children were pictured: hands on throats, candle flames to show the puff of air from a p and a teacher’s mouth inches away from the deaf student’s eyes. There was no comment or question on the difference between language and speech or any inquiry about the consequences of oral deaf education in 1910 (or, indeed, today).

Jon Yau, an artist and a poet, seemed braver than the other speakers, venturing a little closer. He found looking at the drawings “incredibly painful.” I left the film and ran two flights up to see James Castle’s drawings, dolls, animals and many bound books – all made out of scraps of paper, cardboard, string, twine or thread, and painted with sticks, his saliva and soot.

At the first stop, I read that James Castle had “refused to learn.” ...

Anyone who can, go see his work,and see how much he teaches us about how much he CHOSE to learn.

I am speaking at the Bread Workshop, University av, Berkeley, Su, Apr. 18, 7:30

Helen Keller, Ildefonso, James Castle: Self with No Language

soon, susan schaller

Grateful to be back, Grateful to all who Helped in Chicago/Mich.

2010-03-10T12:33:00.000-08:00

Traveling often expands time - I feel I've been gone for a month.

Thank you, Debra, for your comment, insights and information. I am glad you brought up bonding. Loving one's child, seeing the child's needs naturally includes communication in the easiest and most natural ways. Visual communication for visual babies makes sense and encourages the natural bonding. Coincidentally, I met with a cognitive science lab of Susan Goldin-Meadow, who has done research answering your question about language acquisition relating to early visual input. She and her lab have shown in many studies that deaf babies who have gesture (not signing) do better at learning language,even with a late start, than those who have no home-signing (less sophisticated signing -gestures).

And thank you, Debra, for the point about bilingualism. Sign from the cradle, when it is easy and natural for a visual baby, then add French or English. How rich we all would be if we had all of your languages and windows into different cultures.
The more signing is truly accepted as equal, then the easier it will be for parents and families to learn to communicate with their deaf babies.

A public thank-you to DBC for all of your hard work and, especially, Tami, for your perserverance and great generosity. Excuse the brief blog. I will write more when I have caught up on my sleep.
As always - language for ALL babies,
susan

Deaf Bilingual Coalition, not welcomed at EHDI

2010-02-23T14:24:00.000-08:00

I'm soon off to Chicago where EHDI - early hearing detection and intervention- folk are having a conference, discussing how to cure deafness. I, and many other people who advocate for visual language for visual babies as the obvious way to give deaf babies equal access, submitted a paper abstract. My abstract, and many others advocating Sign or bilingualism, was rejected. The hundreds of medical professionals attending believe they are doing the right thing. They believe speech is language, and hearing even a tiny bit or a garbled signal is better than being deaf. Their good intentions, unfortunately, are destroying many babies' chances for a better relationship with their parents and families, for education, and for a connection to the human community.

I need any help you can give: How does one show a doctor, audiologist, teacher or parent that by concentrating on ears and mouth only, they risk losing the human child. Waiting months or a year for intensive brain surgery, then years of training at the expense of language is inhumane. If you were a mother and believed you were doing the right thing by not signing to your deaf baby, what could I say or do to help you open your mind to questioning the wisdom of your action? Any suggestions I will carry to my first meeting in Chicago, with the bilingual coaliton.

The Great Great Lakes Tour

2010-02-22T14:20:00.000-08:00

This last week was so full I didn't have a chance to post. I was busy studying, enjoying and wondering about James Castle's work being exhibited at the Berkeley Art Museum. All the commentators are hearing. Many are in the art world and/or academia. Some are family members. Only one old man was Deaf and had a tiny segment of a film where he tried to educate hearing people on what the young James Castle probably experienced as a deaf boy one hundred years ago in a school for the deaf.

James Castle lived 78 years without language.

I want to tell you all about what I learned from another man who had no language whom I interviewed last week, but first I have to pack.

I hope to finish this before I leave for Chicago and Michgan in a few days.

empathy, humor and language

2010-02-02T08:17:00.000-08:00

February 2 - the eve of the anniversary of my dead brother's birthday

Philip W Schaller died young, many years ago, and still I grieve deeply for him this time of year. Philip was amazingly humorous - always surprising me with his wit and creativity. What I loved most about Philip was his empathy. Even though he had a macho exterior and had two older brothers ready to pounce at even the smell of any vulnerability, Philip took in and stood up for underdogs, played with babies, and talked to his younger sisters as if they were legitimate human beings.

Empathy and humor have a common denominator: imagination. If I want to emulate Philip's empathy, I must expand my imagination. To teach or encourage empathy -raise awareness that we all are together - I must write and speak so as to nurture the growth of imagination.

Were I to care more about money or prestige or power, I would not be advocating for languageless deaf people and for Deaf language rights. A few years ago, when pressured by a relative to get a "real" job, I did some soul-searching, asking myself why I cared so much about promoting visual language to visual babies. I saw that it helped me to become more human, that is, more aware that I am connected to all humans. I, individually, could not stop torture, war, or the greedy hubris of a few rich corporations. I could, however, tell my story of how I met an unimagined visual culture, and how Deaf people introduced me to myself - my face, my hands - and made me more fully human.

The best way I can keep Philip's unique contributions alive is to remember how he tried to see and understand other points of view, to feel for and with another person no matter how different from him. The best way I can show my appreciation for the gifts he gave me is to give them to others. It is extremely difficult, for a hearing person, to imagine profound deafness before language. That is why it is so important to think of ways to grow that imagination, so that every parent, doctor, teacher and the whole village works at giving visual gifts to our fellow humans, our deaf babies.

In memory of Philip who would now have added some great comic relief which you will just have to imagine,

susan of www.susanschaller.com

Visual babies need Visual Language: Sign!

2010-01-22T08:44:00.000-08:00

I am soon traveling to speak out for Deaf Language Rights.

We, the United States, have signed the UN Charter for the Rights of Disabled People. Now we need to integrate those rights and principles into our policies. The charter states that EVERY deaf person has the right to a signed language. This seemingly sane and sensible idea - visual language for visual babies - is foreign to most of the "experts" advising new parents of deaf babies. They are often told "Do not sign to your baby" while we are told in many books and articles to sign to our hearing babies. This ludicrous irony must stop.

Please help me in encouraging all parents to sign to all babies. Babies love signing. Why? Because all babies are visual, if born with working eyes.

The promise of some electonic connection to the auditory part of the brain via cochlear implant surgery does not have to come at the expense of no or little linguistic input while testing, discussing, cutting, healing and training (1-2 years of precious-essential- language learning time).

Idea: BILINGUALISM Give the baby a visual language for an equal chance to language from the crib, while discussing additional (not alternative) avenues for language or language reception/expression. Many Deaf people would not be against cochlear implants if they were offered in the spirit of bilingualism instead of an alternative to deafness, as if the baby could be "cured."

Idea #2: Let us learn from each other by letting people be fully who they are. For example, we could learn how to see better from our deaf babies, and celebrate a beautiful visual language.

For vision and an amazing visual world,
susan schaller at www.susanschaller.com

A new year, a New Chance to Celebrate Diversity

2010-01-11T11:18:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Tomorrow, I am looking forward to speaking to some High School students in Richmond, California, about community and environmental activism. Embracing the entire community and all of nature is a first step toward sustaining and supporting life. We don't know what we need to learn from whom, even to know ourselves, so we need to be open minded and tolerant of every person, regardless of how different from us they appear to be. Likewise, the environmental web is intricate and complicated. If we kill off some fungus somewhere, it may lead to completely unpredicted consequences some place else. I personally dislike the term activism as it has been used in specific political ways, as if it belongs to one group.

We all are active all the time, in both the community and the environment. The question is how conscious are we of our actions and how they affect others. The more we have our eyes open as we act and live, the more we will automatically improve community and all of life around us.

Let's begin with eye-opening exercises. Learn how to see better while expanding our mind: study signing and Deaf Culture and your vision will improve. You will begin to see how much you cannot see.

Or, learn from another group: how to hear better from the blind, argue better from the French, tell stories better form an oral tradition. Please write me and tell me what you discover - help me expand my horizons. And have a great start to the new decade. susan from www.susanschaller.com

December Craziness

2009-12-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

As we enter the crazy season of commercialized holidays, too much traffic, too many commitments, I wish everyone some serentiy. Pause and enjoy what is, especially your children or the people close to you. Every child and every person is just another packaged bit of life. See and appreciate what is special in them.

For example, if a deaf child has eyes, learn how to see better from him or her. Expose visual children to visual language. Learn from a difference rather than shun it. Pausing, listening, observing and appreciating are the ways to slow down the craziness of this busy season.

If you are a parent or relative of a deaf child or student, books and DVDs are 1/2 price. Find and print the order form at www.susanschaller.com and just send a check for 1/2 of what is stated. I will send you a book and/or DVD (signed if you would like - tell me) the day I receive it.

Yours for all children,

susan schaller (more about me at conversations.org - Spring issue)

Deaf parents/students - Free DVDs/ Books-$10

2009-11-05T14:33:00.000-08:00

Warning - not the usual BLOG - please check back, for a less practical entry, soon.

I just read a book review and at the end it sent you - parents of Deaf children to my blog to order books for only $10 - whoooops!

So, if you landed here after following that advice - go to www.susanschaller.com and find the right page for ordering books.
[or, send $10 to me at 1442A Walnut St. #139, Berkeley, CA. 94709]

If you are a parent of a D/deaf child, tell me on the order form, and send in only $10, and, of course, your address.

If you would like to help me continue to buy and give away the book, and are able to pay more, please feel free ot pay anything above 10 dollars.

Students of education, medicine or _____ (make a good case), write me at susan@susanschaller.com and request a discount.

DVDs for those who will use and share it with others, and parents or families of D/deaf children are free, plus $5 for shipping and handling. Write me for more information, if you want them for a class or a workshop.

Panning for Gold in Murphys

2009-10-02T17:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Faithful Readers,

Murphys' friendly residents welcomed me, warmed me and launched me into new creative spheres. My Little Yellow Cottage writing retreat helped me to incubate and hatch lively new creatures for the book in progress.

By the by, for those who have read the interview of my work (/conversations.org/) wherein it was announced my book would be published by the University of Gallaudet Press, I have an update:

I couldn't sign the contract they sent me. It came with censorship: I was told I could not write anything strongly against oralism.

Hmmmm? If oralism includes forbidding signing, and not being exposed to signing is the leading cause of raising children without language, how do I not say something negative about oralism?

The good news is that the censorship led me to review my manuscript with new eyes and heart. I have, once again, begun to rewrite my book. I do not want to argue with oralism or against oralists, and continue a war. I want to encourage parents to love their deaf babies, recognizing what tremendous visual creatures they are; to sign with them and learn how to see from these experts on seeing.

Any and all opinions, comments and suggestions are welcome. We need to be the change we want to see: Happy Birthday Gandhi.

Yours for non-violence and ending wars,

susan of www.susanschaller.com

We are the Change We Wish to See- SIGN!

2009-07-31T07:22:00.000-07:00

Signing in as September signs out.

The message for the month is SIGN, SIGN, SIGN. Write me after you read: (susan@susanschaller.com)

If Deaf babies signed from the crib, they would be equal to all other babies, learning language, relating and communicating to their families, accessing education and cognitive stimulation (bed time stories, counting games, linguistic play,...) and community.

Please help me spread the word to your local doctor, PTA, EVERYONE: "visual language for visual babies" regardless of what else the parents and doctors are deciding. Sign and mime and visually communicate to that little baby while it is being tested and prodded by the medical experts.

All babies need and want language. [To all of you who have nothing to do with serving the Deaf community, I know this seems obvious, but were you to consider a career in deafness, your common sense would be washed out of your brain. Please tell your neighbors, friends and doctors that the medical world usually tells new parents of deaf babies NOT to sign to the baby as it interferes with speech learning (WRONG/error - please correct when opportunity arises)].

Keep on telling good stories about bilingual Deaf kids (who have a signed and spoken language).

Thank you, ahead of time, for any help, suggestions, and comraderie that you can send me;

susan schaller at susanschaller.com

June Rose

2009-06-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

As June roses bloomed larger than ever in Berkeley, I planted new chapter ideas for my new book.

A publisher continues to negotiate a new contract, and the old (second) book is evolving into a new (third) book.

I will tell you all the news and events as they unfold, in detail, another time.

Today, I must write a book.

Yours for language rights, bilingualism, visual language for visual babies, and smelling the roses,

susan schaller of www.susanschaller.com

May travels and transition

2009-05-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

Greetings from rural England, then Oxford, then Heathrow, then over the North Pole and Canada and back on land in San Francisco.

Works and Conversations published an interview about me and my work. Send me your address and I'll send you a copy.

The ASL Festival is on next week - I'll see you there, in San Francisco, just outside of the Embarcadero BART station. Exit and head for the bay - look for clever faces and hands - you can't miss it.

be happy

susan

www.susanschaller.com

Equality Comes for Deaf People

2009-04-01T02:27:00.000-07:00

Today marks a terrific triumph:

Universal declaration announced today that Deaf babies are first HUMAN babies and must be allowed equal access to language. From now on, all governments on the planet mandate that visual babies be exposed to a visual language - the signed language of the respective country, and all new parents of deaf babies learn that visual language.

Each country now recognizes their Deaf community's signed language as one of the official languages, allowing Deaf citizens to be active at every level of their society. Full bilingual education and bilingual services are now available for Deaf people all over the globe.

Hurrah! Hurrah! And shout and SIGN "HURRAH!" again.

Truly, this is the best day in world history for Deaf people everywhere.

I can now retire.

susan@susan.schaller.com

www.susanschaller.com

April Flowers

2009-02-14T00:09:00.000-08:00

In April, an interview of me will appear in Works & Conversations, with the announcement that " In Search of the Languageless Tribe" will be published soon. Hurrah!

I just came back from Southern England after interviewing a friend and fellow actor in the National Theater of the Deaf of Dot Miles whom I write about in the new book.

I'm off to Paris and then rural France this week. Back to England, then off the Austria at the end of March. I will be speaking in Salzburg at The English Center.

Then back to Shropshire to continue rewriting the book, adding, subtracting and polishing it for publication.

Thank you, all who have been supporting me and the advocacy for Deaf language rigtht, for these many years.

L'chaim, and equal access to language and life,
susan

www.susanschaller.com

The Honesty, Creativity and Confidence of 5-yr.-olds

2009-02-10T01:36:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers,

Let's all be 5 again. Just think of everything we could accomplish!

In Chapter Two: Language Wars

... My attraction to languages and their respective cultures stems from both the early love of my father and also from his strange sub-culture. When I was five, I remember the excitement of learning to read. I knew it was a doorway into a much bigger world outside our little house in Wyoming. Only days or weeks after learning to read, I wandered into my father’s office where books stood, wall to wall, floor to ceiling, and lay scattered across his messy desk. I climbed onto his big oak swivel chair to reach the top of his desk. My father always had open books, at least three, in his work space, besides all the papers and closed books circling the writing pad. I pulled the first book closer. Shock, disappointment and excitement all flooded my insides at once, as I stared at a completely different and unreadable alphabet. That ancient Greek book was next to an ancient Hebrew text and next to an English book with the familiar alphabet but few words I could understand. I found more funny words or lettering in Latin and old German Script books, all lying in front of me. For a split second, I felt like I was drowning in an ocean, but with the confidence of a five-year-old, I decided to learn how to read them all.

Deaf Bilingual Coalition

2008-12-01T05:52:00.000-08:00

Recently, I donated for a fund-raiser, for the Deaf Bilingual Coaltion,a Polish poster of Children of a Lesser God and some old ILY (mother signing to a baby) postage stamps. As I looked around the room of almost hundred signing Deaf people, I wondered why it was so hard for hearing parents, doctors, and most of society to accept these people as equal to us. They have their own language, sports teams, churches, traditions and customs, and beautiful art and poetry. What is it that makes humans focus on differences rather than similarities, and worse, abuse minorities who are not "like us"?

This last Thursday, the U.S. celebrated Thanksgiving, a holiday dedicated to gratitude. We are all grateful for diversity in nature - plants, animals, landscapes. Nature includes all the varieties of humans, making life much more interesting. I'm grateful for every word of every foreign language I've learned - it's the beginning of a window into a different culture and way of viewing the world. I'm especially grateful for meeting Deaf people and learning a 3-D language and a richer way of seeing.

Yours for language rights for all people, especially deaf babies,

susan schaller

www.susanschaller.com

Autumn Planning for Spring Flowers

2008-10-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

We need to finish planting our winter crops before the cold and wet chases us inside.

The winter crops I would like to see grow are:

A broader coaltion of people working together to combat "anti-otherism." Linguistic minority rights, children's rights, disability rights, purple-spotted, three-legged hermaphrodite rights all huddle together under HUMAN RIGHTS. The more WE recognize ourselves in others, the more we can learn from each other, build community and live fuller lives.

A deeper understanding of how our human condition is related to environmental crises/opportunities, our expressions - academic, artistic, political-public (as in town meeting action, not just voting), and how solutions to all our problems begin with connection to each other.

Laughter. Let's plant the seeds of honesty and humility (objectivity - letting go of ego), so we can step back, not take everything personally and LAUGH at ourselves.

Perspective. See "laughter."

Tell me about your plans for the coming season.

Yours for a better life,
susan schaller of susanschaller.com

In Search of the Languageless Tribe

2008-09-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

My second book, now entitled In Search of the Languageless Tribe, is finally being considered for publication. Stay tuned for news on that front.

Another director/screenwriter is brainstorming with me and others on dramatic film possibilities for A Man Without Words or a documentary on languageless people.

September 28th, at 4:00, a presenter is introducing me and the advocacy work of the Deaf Bilingual Coalition. If you're in Berkeley, find the Arlington Café on the Arlington, a mile above the Marin Avenue circle. If you mention this blog, I'll give you a free DBC shirt.

The new academic year has begun and deadlines for papers and conference registration have begun to pepper my calendar.

I have an invitation to present in England, and hopefully, will be busy rewriting my book for publication.

In conclusion, contact me now if you, your class, university or bookstore would like to add to my calendar art.

Write me with any specific questions, comments or requests for a denser blog entry!

yours for language rights,

susan from www.susanschaller.com

Summer School

2008-08-24T07:15:00.000-07:00

Teaching disadvantaged inner city youth took over my summer. I taught beginning ASL to a wide variety of struggling teenagers. I don't know if I taught anything, but I learned an amazing amount.

I will be back soon to my website and blog. I have an almost overwhelming writing job that I will tell you all about - some other time.

soon

susan@susanschaller.com

Community Development

2008-07-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

The ideal for workers in social service, education, politics or raising children is to work one's self out of a job. Success is moving someone from dependence to independence and the teacher, facilitator, politician, or mother is no longer needed.

Perhaps, I am out of a job for Deaf people are standing up for themselves for the first time in American history. I just came back from Milwaukee where Deaf people from all over the country stood up to the giant Alexander graham Bell association and said, "ENOUGH - NO MORE LANGUAGE ABUSE." The obvious theme was equal language rights for deaf babies with the explicit message that deaf babies are human babies first and their biological difference is secondary.

The Deaf Bilingual Coalition is using the same language, especially "human rights" that the World Federation of the Deaf (and I) have been using for decades. There have been many individuals, of course, who have understood the issue, but this was the first national organized rally by and of the Deaf community against the fanatical and ruling ideology of oralism.

I'm hoping that I have worked myself out of a job.

Yours for peace, justice, language rights, minority rights, equality - for COMMUNITY,

susan schaller
susanschaller.com

oralists = racists = sexists = rejecting our humanity

2008-06-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

Greetings after my long, reflective break.

After my speaking tour in Indiana and Ohio, I came back with a head of questions. On the practical level, I questioned all the air, bus and car travel in a time when I am striving to be kinder to the earth, growing some of my own food, walking ( I gave up by car, yesterday) and supporting local farmers. More appropriate to this blog, I wondered if my speaking was effective. Was I simply preaching to the choir: those already studying ASL, Deaf studies or Disability issues?

The question which surfaced again, and has been in my head for decades, is:

WHY DO WE TREAT DEAF BABIES SO BADLY?

Fear causes division. Hence the title above. Fear triggers blaming the victim, and the subsequent effort to "fix" the person different from us. Oralism - the Alexander Graham Bell philosophy (as well as most of society's) which discriminates againstsigning and ignores the visual nature of Deaf people - like racism or any "-ism" sees the difference as the problem. If Deaf people simply acted hearing, they would be successful. This is equivalent to "if African-Americans just acted more white, they would be more successful." The burden is placed on the person with the difference, so if he or she fails to be hearing or white, that person is at fault. The hearing parent, hearing doctor, or the hearing or white society is never examined or seen as the problem. A reaction based on fear and blindness becomes the convention. Any who speak out against this unfair system is seen as unreasonable.

My musings of the last month leave me wondering what I and we should do. The opposite of fear is love. The opposite of highlighting differences is to recognize our similarities. Recognizing our commonalities is embracing all humans as if we were all together instead of separate. No person is an island. We are tribal beings which would and should lead all of us to immediately see that a deaf baby needs normal and natural language and socialization: visual communication and language for visual creatures. And if we can see, then we can use our vision to connect with our visual babies.

Who should I be talking to, writing to, or working with, to help point to this obvious truth? Is it bigger than deafness and deaf babies? How can we all become more human and recognize each other as part of ourselves? Like Voltaire, after raving about the world's craziness, I see the wisdom in joining community and cultivating our garden. In other words, words may be a waste of time; growing, loving, touching, being, locally and in community, may be how I should live.

Philosophically yours,

susan of www.susanschaller.com

April Action

2008-04-21T06:02:00.001-07:00

I'm on the road speaking out against the human rights violation of raising babies without language.

Details and news will appear soon, but I'm now off to Columbus State Community College for two days of speaking.

Last week, I spoke and met with hundreds of people at Indiana University in Bloomington, and PBS broadcasted a TV interview throughout southern Indiana.

Wednesday, I move on to Dayton and Wright State University.

See www.susanschaller.com to get information on how to keep the word (and signs) moving.

Onward for human rights!

Language Rights as if Babies Mattered

2008-03-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

When my paper was accepted for the EHDI - Early Hearing Detection & Intervention - conference, I got a call asking if I would change the title (from the one above) to just Language Rights. I laughed - they sounded so serious and upset that I would imply they didn't care about babies - and immediately agreed.

I should have kept the original title.

New Orleans was a shock. Five hundred people talking about audiology, speech, cochlear implants and all the needs of all the EHDI programs in the United States, and only twenty of us (hopefully, there were maybe forty or fifty, but many were quiet) seemed concerned about the babies.

The babies are lost when the discussion, the money, the resources - ALL the attention is on hearing and speech, as if only ears and mouths existed. Language development, cognitive development, socialization, normal family communication, self esteem and identity, education, and mental health were secondary or not mentioned at all.

Fast forward two weeks: I presented at the CAL ED conference in San Ramon where everyone talked about babies, humans, whole people who have feelings and need language to be fully human. Language is not speech which is how it was interpreted in New Orleans.

Please, accept my public apology for changing the name. Refer audiologists, speech therapists, and ENT doctors to this site and ask them to back away from mouths and ears far enough to see the whole baby.

LANGUAGE (a complete accessible visual language for a visual baby)

and LANGUAGE RIGHTS

AS IF BABIES MATTER

Signing is a right for deaf babies, not a medical issue - pass it on.
susanschaller.com

Honoring Biological Diversity

2008-02-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

This coming weekend I fly to New Orleans for the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention conference. It is good to see folks like Ben Bahan of Gallaudet giving presentations. I hope to discuss bilingual policies and the human rights approach to meeting new deaf babies. If one thinks of human rights and what a child needs, language is early on the list, and the sensible response to deafness is "Oh, a visual baby - let's match him/her to a visual language."

I'll be curious how many people will be talking from this center as opposed to: " What's WRONG with this baby?" That question leads to trying to fix and mold the baby to fit one idea of how we all are suppose to be. Turtles are deaf, and I've never heard of anyone suggesting fixing a turtle. Is accepting and honoring differences such a strange idea?

Onward,
susan

susanschaller.com

Language Rights Globally

2008-01-29T15:57:00.000-08:00

I finally made it back to California time after my trip to England where I presented to the National Deaf Children's Society, and met with Bencie Woll, director of a cognitive and language research center in London. England has certainly been progressing. British Sign Language is on television everyday, employment for the deaf has increased and diversified and Deaf leaders continue to emerge and assert their rights. Oralism and mainstreaming, however, still influence far too many hearing parents and many deaf babies are not exposed to signing. We need to roll up our sleeves and keep working.

The Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Conference has invited me to give a paper on language rights, so I am off to New Orleans February 23-27. I am meeting with some good Texan workers who will update me on what is happening in that big state. I will be encouraging everyone to view and use Vital-Signs, the DVD, to present a positive picture of the Deaf community and their wonderful visual language, especially to new parents and health professionals Check it out at www.susanschaller.com

Yours for bilingualism, multiculturalism and a more tolerant world,

susan schaller

happy new year

2008-01-01T16:54:00.000-08:00

2008: Day One: As I am preparing for a presentation in England related to the Every Child Matters legislation, a theme for the new year weaves through my thoughts: every day matters.

So, today I continued to think of ways we can promote human rights for all people every day. Just as each one of us can promote peace by being more peaceful, we can each promote ideas of basic human dignity, equal access to health care, education and community through our daily attitude and actions. The easiest way is to be present, look each person you meet in the eye as an equal and celebrate whatever we can together, starting with the first day of the year. Today, let's help each other share this full life.

Happy New Year
susanschaller.com

November Action

2007-12-06T09:01:00.000-08:00

In November, after October's successful classes, university presentations, radio interview and constructivist teachers' conference paper, I worked closer to home. After a workshop with some enthusiastic participants at Pixar's University, I volunteered as a roaming ASL interpreter for the Green Festival in San Francisco. I was thrilled to see so many interpreters for formal speeches and for Deaf participants who want to survey the hundreds of booths along with the hearing crowd. The greater joy was in seeing Deaf people come, join in and take advantage of the volunteer resources. Like when traffic flows smoothly and everyone is taking advantage of the rules of right away, traffic lights and planned lanes, it's wonderful when the system works, because people are using it.

Toward the end of the month, I was asked to evaluate an almost deaf boy (it is possible that the parents want him to be more hearing than he is - could be the misdiagnosis: Potentially Hearing) to see if he signed. Indeed, he signs more than his parents, and better than his parents. I could tell he was rusty, stuck at a beginning level, and reverted to "hearing" signs, for the sake of his parents. I submitted my report and reccommendation: GET A DEAF AIDE, A DEAF PLAYMATE, A DEAF BABYSITTER, AND SIGN, SIGN, SIGN in order to improve his language and communication, because speech and hearing are limiting this boy, and he is not progressing linguistically, educationally or socially. Of course, a Deaf teacher would be the best, but I knew the district didn't have one. If inclusion were really a goal, wouldn't that mean included Deaf people at every level- students, aides, teaachers and administrators?

I was sad for the boy; I used yet another reminder that I must work harder to prevent deaf children from growing up with little or no shared language.

I have a radical suggestion: let us (teachers, professionals, parents, administrators - all of us) try solutions that are the easiest and work best for the child. Give me your ideas, suggestions and comments - check out www.susanschaller.com

Thank you for all who showed up at CSD's Open House - another great November event.

2007-11-05T10:23:00.000-08:00

Lives Without Words, People Without Language, my second book, moves closer to publication as the subject of languageless begins to surface. The Southern California tour was an inspiring success. At universities and on the radio and in many classes I talked to future and current teachers, doctors, academics and parents who were encouraged to respect our deaf babies instead of mistreat them. Next week, I talk to artists in the film industry about learning visual poetry from the superior world of seeing - the Deaf community.

Contact me with any ideas for events or publicity: see www.susanschaller.com

Southern California Tour

2007-09-24T17:56:00.000-07:00

Making the crime of languagelessness visible, one book at a time, one speech at a time, one film at a time, one blog at a time, one vital-signs video at a time, one web site at a time - www.susanschaller.com - (link at bottom), ...

October 16 California State University, San Bernardino and October 17 UC Irvine POSTPONED

October 18
University of Redlands contact: Leela_Madhavarau at redlands.edu

Presentation and showing of the documentary, In Search of Lucy Doe, with Oliver Sacks, Susan Schaller, and languageless people from her second book: Lives Without Words, People Without Language.

October 23
California State University, Northridge (flyer below)

Sponsored by the Office of the Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs
contacti: joseph.antunez at csun.edu

The public and the CSUN Campus Community are cordially invited to a presentation by

Susan Schaller
Date: Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Time: 4:00 – 6 pm Place:
Oviatt Library, Presentation Room California State University, Northridge

Susan Schaller, author of A Man Without Words (UC Press) is ready to publish her second book, Lives Without Words, People Without Language, about the hidden crime of children being raised without language, and the triumph of learning a first language in adulthood. In Search of Lucy Doe (BBC World Service), which includes stories from her upcoming second book and her work with Oliver Sacks, was chosen by the Margaret Mead Film Festival in New York.

Schaller founded and directed a non-profit, producing the educational program and award-winning video, Vital-Signs (now a DVD), and Deaf World Television. Through her writing and public speaking, she promotes equal access to language for Deaf people, and introduces hearing people to an astounding culture based on vision.

Schaller's observations of people living outside of a shared language have inspired her and help answer "What does it mean to be human?" Relevant to many disciplines, from education, psychology and anthropology to medicine, policy and minority language rights, her writing, public speaking, and stories from the rarely visited world of languageless people explores what it means to be human, and how we can improve our vision by accepting Deaf people's superior abilities to see.

Rights as if Humans Mattered

2007-08-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

When I tell people that I wrote a second book to prevent children from growing up without language, people always looked shocked that such a thing could happen. I always have to explain that 92% of deaf babies are born to hearing parents who don't usually think of language as the problem. Their doctors, educators and other "experts" also don't see language as the main issue facing a deaf baby in a hearing family. Many times the parents are explicitly told NOT to sign as that interferes with speech and hearing (even if there is none!). Thus, there are a few deaf babies who grow up without a clue what a shared language - a named language like English, Spanish or American Sign Language- is or how it connects us all. They are left out of any human community.

And the reaction to the above? Shock and disbelief. Normal hearing people see the human right of all deaf babies to have language. If a baby is visual, a visual language - a signed language makes sense.

So what's the problem?

Normal people are not the doctors, educators, audiologists and the A. G. Bell people advising new parents. These self proclaimed experts are blind to the very human, very beautiful and more than adequate visual lives of Deaf people and their rich, sophisticated signed languages, like American Sign Language or Japanese Sign Language. They as do all hearing parents of deaf babies need to learn about basic human rights: ALL BABIES NEED LANGUAGE.

The solution is already in place in Scandanavia : bilingualism. First get language to babies. If the baby is visual, use a visual language: Swedish or Finnish or Danish Sign Language. Then the spoken language of the parents and community. And why does it exist in one part of the world and no where else? Those countries ask the right question: What does a human baby need? Language is on the list, and the baby gets language through whatever medium is easiest (eyes instead of ears for deaf babies - how revolutionary!).

In the United States and most of the world, the wrong question gets the wrong answers: What's wrong with this baby?
Doctors and parents answer: "Broken ears." The next ten or twenty years are spent fixing non-working ears and the human baby is forgotten as a person.

Let's take languagelessness out of the closet. Take prelingual deafness out of educators hands, out of medicince, and put this language issue where it belongs: the human rights arena.