Deaf Interpreter Services, Inc.

Here's an Interesting Article in the "Harm Reduction Journal" About Language Acquisition for Deaf Children

Article abstract:

Children acquire language without instruction as long as they are regularly and meaningfully engaged with an accessible human language. Today, 80% of children born deaf in the developed world are implanted with cochlear devices that allow some of them access to sound in their early years, which helps them to develop speech. However, through early childhood, brain plasticity changes and children who have not acquired a first language in the early years might never be completely fluent in any language. If they miss this critical period for exposure to a natural language, their subsequent development of the cognitive activities that rely on a solid first language might be underdeveloped, such as literacy, memory organization, and number manipulation. An alternative to speech-exclusive approaches to language acquisition exists in the use of sign languages such as American Sign Language (ASL), where acquiring a sign language is subject to the same time constraints of spoken language development. Unfortunately, so far, these alternatives are caught up in an "either - or" dilemma, leading to a highly polarized conflict about which system families should choose for their children, with little tolerance for alternatives by either side of the debate and widespread misinformation about the evidence and implications for or against either approach. The success rate with cochlear implants is highly variable. This issue is still debated, and as far as we know, there are no reliable predictors for success with implants. Yet families are often advised not to expose their child to sign language. Here absolute positions based on ideology create pressures for parents that might jeopardize the real developmental needs of deaf children. What we do know is that cochlear implants do not offer accessible language to many deaf children. By the time it is clear that the deaf child is not acquiring spoken language with cochlear devices, it might already be past the critical period, and the child runs the risk of becoming linguistically deprived. Linguistic deprivation constitutes multiple personal harms as well as harms to society (in terms of costs to our medical systems and in loss of potential productive societal participation).

The complete article is available as a PDF here.

Use These Great Resources To Find More Information About Deafness

We recently discussed reasons to use a professional sign language interpreter and looked at the life of Marlee Matlin. You can find additional information on these subjects with the links below. To learn more about the interpretation services we offer, call Deaf Interpreter Services, Inc. in San Antonio at (210) 545-2946.

• For additional information on the importance of having a professional sign language interpreter present in medical environments, read through this guide from the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• You can find out more about American Sign Language with this article from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
• To learn more about Deaf actress Marlee Matlin’s career, take a look at her official biography.
• Find out more about Marlee Matlin’s determination to learn ballroom dancing in this article from T.V. Guide.
• This article from The Daily Campus discusses a message that Marlee Matlin recently delivered at a university about her determination to succeed as an actress and make a difference in the hearing impaired community.

See an Interview with Marlee Matlin In This Video!

Marlee Matlin is an Academy Award-winning American actress who lost her hearing as an infant. Matlin has appeared in numerous films and televisions series, pursuing a successful acting career and overcoming obstacles presented by deafness.

This video features an interview with Matlin, during which she speaks about her childhood, her acting career, and being Deaf. You can learn how Matlin has perceived her hearing impairment throughout her life and find out how she discovered her passion for acting.

Deaf Interpreter Services, Inc. of San Antonio provides sign language interpretation services to ensure that Deaf individuals can pursue a career, hobby, or education without restrictions. To learn more, call us today at (210) 545-2946.

Deaf Interpreter Service Donates 500 Water Bottles to SAILS for 2012 ADA Walk on July 27, 2012!

We applied on behalf of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Anniversary Celebration led by San Antonio Independent Living Services (SAILS) for a grant from 4Imprints “one by one” program. We won a grant for $500.00 that will be used to purchase red, white and blue sport water bottles for the attendees! The theme for the event on July 27, 2012 is "Honoring our Veterans".

Deaf Interpreter Service's Vice President & COO, John Weber, Featured in Fraud Magazine!

"As a district attorney investigator for Texas' Comal County and the 63rd Judicial District, Weber provides expertise on complex economic crime cases; two different district attorneys hold his commission. He also works with investigators from other jurisdictions on criminal investigations as requested and assists with court security as a grand jury bailiff. Weber also is vice president, COO and minority owner of Deaf Interpreter Services." 

Click here to read the entire article and learn more about DIS's very own, John Weber!