Deaf News Briefs: Deaflympics and LAUSD
Deaf News Briefs: Deaflympics and LAUSD
Here are two Deaf News Briefs, one on the Deaflympics and the second about the LAUSD Board vote.
Carli Cronk and Matthew Klotz become Deaflympic legends
Two American swimmers have become legends during the Brazil 2022 Deaflympics: Carli Cronk and Matthew Klotz.
Cronk won 12 gold medals during the Brazil Deaflympic games. The USA Deaf Sports Federation said she has tied “South African Deaflympian and Olympic silver medalist Terence Parkin’s twelve golds at the 2005 Melbourne Deaflympics.” She is only 16 years old and the USADSF said she is “just getting started.”
Klotz has won 14 medals, which USADSF says is “a new Deaflympic record for most medals ever by an athlete in a single Deaflympic games.” He won five golds, two silvers, and seven bronzes. Klotz now has 22 Deaflympic medals in total and is the second most decorated US Deaflympian in history.
Only Reed Gershwind has more medals by a US athlete with 30. If Klotz returns for another Deaflympics, maybe he will surpass Gershwind’s record, but watch out for Cronk.
Congratulations to Cronk and Klotz.
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LAUSD Board passes resolution to restructure deaf education
On Tuesday night the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) voted unanimously to pass #Res-029-21/22, “Restructure Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education, Elevate Language Equity, Eliminate Bias in Deaf Education.” I talked about the resolution on Monday’s news.
The LAUSD Board meeting was broadcasted on a livestream last night. Board member Jackie Goldberg, who was one of the two board members who moved forward this resolution, said there should be a range of choices offered to parents of deaf children rather than them being only offered an auditory and oral approach. She said there is no evidence that ASL acquisition is detrimental to acquiring spoken language.
She gave personal and emotional testimony that her deaf niece, when she was younger, was told by higher-ups in LAUSD that she shouldn’t sign because it would take away her motivation to learn to speak.
Ms. Goldberg: “This is personal to me as well. I have a niece, she went through the school district. She had terrible times, she was told in some places that she was not allowed to sign. She would come home crying and tell her mom she was not allowed to sign in school. Can you imagine telling any child that they cannot use the language they know in school?”
After this testimony, Goldberg read a letter from her niece that said she supports the resolution.
The LAUSD Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said the resolution is a “dynamic policy evolution” and that he believes it is in the best interests of students. He said he was not a voting member of this board but if he could vote, he would vote yes. He signed, “vote yes.”
There was a sizable group of deaf people and advocates in the audience who cheered the LAUSD’ vote. I will do a follow-up story on this vote and what it means.
That’s the two Deaf news briefs for today.
**Photo credit for Cronk and Klotz goes to USADSF / Julian Simons / Neha Balachandran
https://www.facebook.com/USADSF/photos/a.2806514202724907/5300428323333470
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1488227001388374
https://www.facebook.com/USADSF/photos/a.2806514202724907/5300446089998360
https://www.dailymoth.com/blog/deaf-education-professionals-fighting-for-equity-at-lausd