I am so done with school! So DONE! I have impeccable luck with interpreters and I give up. The University is not providing interpreters for University recognized co-curriculars or events which is frustrating beyond belief but I am now seeking legal action to remedy that.
Beyond that I was having issues with an interpreter and her approach (one of those “I only interpret for the professor, hyper-over professional, code of ethics, the University is my employer so I won’t accept feedback from the Deaf person, kind of interpreter). After telling the University about the issues, which I was assured by other Deaf people and interpreters were valid concerns, and nothing happened I got the interpreters and accessibility services together for a meeting. let’s just say that the meeting didn’t go to well.
The interpreter was defensive (obviously) and continuously tried to pin things on me. For example: classes start 10 minutes after the hour, but interpreters are booked and hired from the start of the hour. This interpreter didn’t feel a need to show up at the start of hour because the prof wasn’t presenting yet and when I mentioned that sometimes students or the prof or the TA want to talk to me before the class starts she had the nerve to tell me that she has been working a long time and knows that Deaf people know how to communicate with hearing people. That I live in a hearing world and go to a hearing school so I should be able to do it without an interpreter. I was shocked that she had the nerve to say that.
The meeting got nasty and when I got home I started trying to replace her and a few minutes later was told that she quit. I was not impressed with her at all.
Something goes wrong with interpreter every term. Sometimes part of it is me and I accept that 100%. Really- there have only been problems like this 2 times all together. The other times I have lost interpreters mid term were because 1 didn’t feel qualified (and she wasn’t) but we are still on good terms and I will work with her again. One wasn’t a good match for me, we both agreed, no hard feelings and all is still fine there. Then there was one who I had a conflict with. That was both of us and the boundaries were fuzzy there from the beginning so a bit different. Today it was this interpreter I had never worked with before this term and it just didn’t work for either of us. My expectations did not match her style.
Now I am down one interpreter for one class and while I would rather be down an interpreter than have to work with her again it is frustrating. Sometimes I wonder if I am made for this University thing. At least this hearing university thing. Gallaudet is looking better and better these days and I would so go there if I didn’t have to move to a new country….
I need to vent. Thanks for reading!
The Irony
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In what can only be considered a full circle moment, I would like to
announce that our family is headed back to Utah (the place we fled to find
appropri...
4 months ago
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7 comments:
Any chance you can get a note taker or just have a student photocopy his/her notes? This is what I had in high school and college.
I have had 5 interpreters this semester.
Two interpreters split the multi-hour lab (one for the first hour, a different one for the second hour, and the first comes back for the rest of lab) and 1 for all lectures.
The best interpreter I had was a substitute. She was awesome but things seem to be working out ok. I end up explaining alot of chemistry to my interpreter because she doesn't have a background in science and I'm in an advanced class.
I'm always signing something like "this science term means "x" but scientists are evil and like big words".
She knows I'm joking because I love science and she is really thankful for the chemistry lessons.
Good luck with finding good interpreters.
I have just now started to ask the interpreters to interpret everything, including the jokes and conversations before class.
Hang in there! At least for now keep on keeping on. Meanwhile, my USA would welcome you and be all the better for your being here. Just find the school where you can be yourself w/ the least frustration and learn what you want to learn. For now you are experiencing things that will serve you well as life goes on.
I think of you often. (I'm the person you suggested lucite molds to on a forum and will be forever grateful for your support.) Have started my own journey into ASL, btw. Will be, hopefully, one step ahead when/if I lose the rest of what little hearing I have left. And just maybe ASL and the deaf community would be a more rewarding environment...one that I could more easily participate in. Because I wear HA, my family and my friends all expect me to hear the way I used to before the sudden hearing loss. Not so.
Hi there. I found our blog when I was attempting to do some research for a paper and some personal stuff. I was hoping that I would be able to ask you a few questions about growing up deaf in a hearing family.
My paper is due Tuesday evening, however, if you don't get this by then or don't have time to answer question before then that's fine. I would still greatly appreciate chatting with you since my husband and I are planning on attempting to adopt a deaf child.
My main focus of the paper is about the struggles or challenges of raising a deaf child (or you could look at it the struggles of growing up in a hearing family.) :-)
If you have the time and would be willing to answer some questions that would be absolutely wonderful. You can contact me through email or even look me up on Facebook if you have that. My email is tonya.barger@gmail.com On Facebook you can find me by searching for Tonya Barger I live in the U.S. and the state of Iowa if that helps at all.
Much thanks in advance!
p.s. I'm bookmarking your blog so that I can come by and visit now. :-)
How is the legal action going?
Please write again! I am going deaf, have hearing aids and I really appreciate what you have to say! I will never really understand your reality but when I read your last several posts I felt something.
My daughter, as a child, taught herself some ASL. I used to think it was "cute". Then, as a teen, she started working for a large family of adopted children, each with a disability. Ther were 2 girls who were profoundly deaf (I always liked the" profoundly" word!)and my girl could communicate w/them. It amazed then and now.
So "may I have more, please?".
Hi JennyB,
I'm feral geographer and I blog at http://www.feralgeographer.wordpress.com. Along with Mae Callen of Driving Fast on Loose Gravel (http://maecallen.blogspot.com), I'm working on creating an active blogroll of queer blogs from Canada and/or by Canadians. The project is called Queer Canada Blogs (http://www.queercanadablogs.ca), and we've added your blog! I realize that it's been a while since your last post, but I'm hoping you'll start up again when you're ready, because I love your writing.
Please let us know if you have any suggestions for other blogs we can add to QCB.
Thanks!
feral geographer
(Feel free to delete this comment... I just wanted to contact you, and couldn't find an email address!)
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