October 26, 1999
Exposing the Hidden Disability:
Our Way & Beth Israel Medical Center
To Hold Groundbreaking Conference on Deaf Education
on November 8, 1999
Imagine: You are 8 years old and in third grade. You have
impaired hearing. You are sitting in class and trying to concentrate on what your teacher
is saying and doing – but there are so many distractions that it’s hard to hear
any one thing clearly. On top of that, you are worried that no one will play with you at
recess because all the kids know that sometimes you can’t hear them when they tell
you to pass the ball.
Multiply this one-minute scenario hundreds of times to begin to
understand what it must be like for deaf and hearing-impaired students in mainstream
classes across the country. Yet, when it comes to Jewish education, the alternative to
mainstreaming students with auditory challenges is – in many cases – no
formal Jewish education at all.
To address the challenges that deaf and hearing-impaired children in
mainstream classrooms face every day and bring the "hidden disability" out into
the open for educators, administrators, speech pathologists and audiologists – the
National Jewish Council for the Disabled’s (NJCD)
Our Way Program for the deaf and hearing
impaired and Beth Israel Medical Center will present a landmark conference on "The
Hearing Impaired Child in the Jewish Classroom," at Beth Israel on Monday, November
8.
The full-day conference (from 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) is an
outgrowth of the NJCD’s 1998 publication
of the same name and is the first meeting of its kind. The conference co-sponsor, Beth
Israel Medical Center, operates a cutting-edge Otology and Cochlear Implant Center as well
as a renown Hearing and Learning Center.
Experts will address many of the medical, technical, emotional and
educational aspects of educating deaf and hearing impaired children in mainstream general
and Judaic studies settings. Presenters will also offer specific strategies to make
classrooms more accessible to students with varying types and degrees of hearing loss and
different modes of communication.
"Our focus is on inclusion that makes sense," said Dr.
Jeffrey Lichtman, Director of the NJCD. "The question of mainstreaming deaf and
hearing impaired children should always be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. But
certainly anyone who wants access to a Jewish education for their deaf or hearing-impaired
child should be able to obtain it," he added.
"The issue for educators – especially Jewish educators
– to consider is ‘where is this child who cannot hear emotionally and what can
you do to bring him or her in?’ How can you truly reach the child and talk directly
to his or her soul?," said Dr. Lichtman, who will give a presentation at the
conference, "What You Think Is What They Feel: Attitudes Count."
Registration is $75. ASL, oral and cued speech interpreters will be
made available upon request. For more information, or to register, please contact Our Way
at (212) 613-8127 or e-mail arielib@ou.org.
The National Jewish Council for the Disabled participates in a UJC
task-force on the growing need for deaf-Jewish services and Our Way, established in 1969,
is currently the only organization reaching out to deaf and hearing impaired Jews across
the country, bridging the gap between the hearing and non-hearing worlds. Through a vast
array of programs including holiday celebrations, a deaf singles registry, Torah study
groups, summer tours, family retreats, conventions and special signing publications, Our
Way provides spiritual and social opportunities for nearly 1,000 Jewish deaf across the
country.
The Orthodox Union, celebrating 100 years of service to the Jewish
community of America and beyond, is the world leader in youth
work,
advocacy for the disabled, synagogue services, adult education and
political action. Its kosher supervision label, the OU, is the world's
most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 200,000
products in 62 countries around the globe.
www.ou.org
###
Comments?
Requests? Questions?
 Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations
of America
Department of Public Relations
Sharyn Perlman, Director
Main Office:
11 Broadway, New York, NY 10004
Phone: 212-613-8321 Fax: 212-564-9058
E-mail: media@ou.org |
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