Gates of isolation open with sign language

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For Aboriginal children and their families living outside of urban centres, deafness can seem like an insurmountable problem. The lack of resources in many Native communities and the lack of understanding of how to access what services are available, can leave many families feeling overwhelmed and isolated.

In Edmonton, the Alberta School for the deaf plays an important role in helping deaf Native children and their communications barriers.

Caroline Yellowhorn, the school's Native liaison officer, explains that because

very few people in the Aboriginal community know how to sign, deaf children often have a difficult time communicating within their own communities.

"Many students come to school with very little language. Once here we teach them American Sign Language and once they get it, they really flourish," she says.

For many students the new-found ability to communicate through sign language allows them to develop the kind of social and interpersonal skills that the hearing community often takes for granted.

"As hearing people, we pick up social skills through interaction with one another. But if you're the only deaf person in your whole community, you have no one to interact with and you don't pick it up," explains Yellowhorn.

Being able to communicate through sign language also allows students to learn things about their own culture and history. Throughout the school year, Yellowhorn leads students through a variety of cultural activities, including a recent ceremony to mark the end of the school year and the beginning of summer.

For many of the Aboriginal students, these activities are often the first opportunity they have had to understand the significance and the meaning of such ceremonies. Even though they may have attended such ceremonies in their own communities, without an interpreter present they may have missed out on a lot.

Of the schools 100 Grade 1 to 12 students, 20 are Aboriginal. Many of the 20 come from communities across Alberta and the Northwest Territories, and are required

to live away from their families while attending the school.

Despite this, Yellowhorn points out that the students maintain close ties to their families and to their communities.

"They know that their parents don't send them here because they don't want them but because they know this is the best place for them to be."

Chief Roy Whitney, of the Sarcee Band west of Calgary, knows all too well the difficult ties that deaf children and their families face,.

"His daughter, Paula, was born deaf, and although she had always received a great deal of support within their community, at extended family outings like weddings or parties she almost sat in isolation, he explains.

Initially she had attended a Calgary school, but the family found that it really wasn't helping her.

"We really wanted to put her in an environment that would support her as an individual and allow her to set her own goal and priorities - and give her a sense of her own responsibilities," says Whitney.

Whitney believes that the Alberta School for the Deaf has worked wonders for everyone.

"When she first went in, she was very upset with us that we would put her there," he explains. "And it was very difficult for us as parents to do that, but in the long run we knew it would be the best choice for her."

Few Native communities have the kind of educational and interpreter services required by the deaf, and as such families are often forced to move to find the necessary help.

Nationally one two per cent of the Canadian population is considered deaf, although in centres like Edmonton or Winnipeg the concentration of services can make that number much higher.

Edmonton's Connect Society is responsible for housing students at the Alberta School for the Deaf who must live away from home.

"Such a move can be very traumatic for families. It can place a lot of stress on

the family to make the decision and then to live apart from your kids," Collen obinson, the society's executive director, explains.

Even if funds for such a project do not materialize, Robinson stresses that the society is always looking for ways to connect with the Aboriginal community and welcomes suggestions and input.

Even when resources do exist, often little is done to make families aware of what is available.

Although there are no Native interpreters working in the Edmonton area, there are interpreters who can provide assistance and some in some instances can come to communities to do so.

"Resources are out there - it's just that more needs to be done to let people know about them," said Yellowhorn.

If you are interested in finding out more about what is available for the deaf or hard of hearing, contact Connect Society at 454-9581.