Integration's A-OK for these deaf children, part 2

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Grant, the kindly ana ousy principal of the School for the Deaf. The seeds for the socalled "integration policy" were sown when Metro School Board agreed to extend plans for the new Davisville Junior Public School to include accommodation for Metro's deaf children. The two new schools opened in September 1962, under one roof. Although each has its own principal and operates independently of the other, they share facilities like the gymnasium, the library and the school' yard. The result is that deaf A Grade 5 student writes a week-end news report. and hearing children are are integrated for almost thrown together. And the their entire program. "But we don't integrate a hearing youngsters soon forget some of their play- student until we are sure he will be successful," added mates are handicapped. Officials believe that the Miss Grant. The cost of the program sooner deaf children learn to associate with hearing at the School for the Deaf children, the better. A far exceeds that for normal elementary schools, but is spokesman for the Canadian slight compared to the cost Hearing Society says deaf of supporting uneducated people don't want special deaf adults. Miss Grant said she retreatment. Ten deaf students are cently signed her name for now taking some classes school hearing equipment regularly at Davisville worth $48,000. "When I first started Junior Public School; three Teacher Margaret Leith instructs some of the younger pupils in the school gymnasium,. teaching a hard-of-hearing class 23 years ago, my only equipment cost no more than a few dollars." Progress in educating the deaf can be measured in more ways than money. School enrolment has jumped to 186 students, all | classed as extremely deaf. The present staff of 23 is gradually being expanded by a program which sends qualified teachers for spe-, cial training. Although the School for the Deaf takes students only as far as Grade 7, there are five secondary school classes in all streams equipped to receive them ; later. And, possibly the most ; encouraging sign yet: a follow-up report on graduates : shows that none is unem- · ployed. Miss Grant stressed early j diagnosis of a child's prob- : lem. The school takes stu- : dents when they are 3. Re- ; ports show these students ! do better than those who be- · gin later. And what of the future? Many problems still must be solved. Parents who once objected to mixing deaf and hearing children are now loud in their praise of the system. But New Canadian students still present a major problem: many of these students come from countries that offer no special training for the deaf. And any lip-reading they are taught at the School for the Deaf is no use to them if a different language is spoken at home. A deaf child, like any other, must be educated for a changing society. He has a better chance of doing it today than ever before thanks to places like the Davisville school.

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