This is a typical event in which the parents drop off their Deaf child at a Deaf residential school across US because they lived far away from the school. I know it is very hard to leave a small child alone at the residential school, but it is eventually worthwhile…the young Deaf child thrives by immersing in the Deaf Culture with the accessibility to spoken ASL and written English, becoming a full bilingual. It also helps when the school encourages the child to grow and connect to the society beyond the campus, leading the child to be content, well adjusted and emotionally healthy human being and a law-abiding citizen upon their graduation from high school. Today, any public school will never be able to provide the same way the Deaf school can, even if it has more than 25 Deaf people…it is about everything that is accessible in most language-rich and culture-rich environment that only a Deaf school can offer. Mainstreaming [education] law of 1975 is hurting our Deaf Schools!
I love this picture because it shows an small, intimate look at the history regarding the Deaf School, and what it was like for a Deaf child.
In the picture, Tina (Blaxton) Phillips at age of 5 was holding her clothes. She said she remembered well how she stayed at her aunt’s and uncle’s place for a night so they can go spend a day at Atlanta Six Flags, before she is dropped off at GSD which would become another home for Tina for the next several years. She was standing in front of the PB (the very same building that would hopefully become the National Deaf Schools Museum, a home of GSD Museum and ASL Rose store and studio). You can see the “Six Flags” bumper sticker on her parents’ green station wagon car. She became carsick on a long trip from home to school, so her parents switched to a wagon station for Tina to lay down and rest in back of the car. That helped. Tina also stated that her bell pants with roosters sewn on them were made by her parents. All details are amazing! Now you see why Tina donated to support the turning the PB into a place we can once again call our home.
Again, Deaf schools can’t just be erased off in favor of mainstreamed public schools in belief it will improve Deaf children’s education and life in general.
Thank you, Tina, for allowing me to share your valuable picture and your meaningful story to the world! ♥️
[Video transcript]
Adonia: Hey there! This is the exact place the little girl you see in the picture standing and holding her clothes over her back in front of PB! It was a very typical day for most Deaf children who were dropped off by their parents at Deaf schools (such as GSD). It sounds terrible, but it’s not. It’s very important to remember that Deaf children actually thrived in places like Deaf schools. Without Deaf schools, public schools would make no difference in Deaf children’s lives at all. Thanks so much, Tina (Blaxton) Phillips…I really enjoyed looking at your old picture and reading your story about your arrival day at GSD. Bye!
Ten percent from all purchased ASL Rose products will go to the National Deaf Schools Museum: https://aslrose.com/shop/
Please help make a dream come true in purchasing and turning the PB into three divisions: the future National Deaf Schools Museum, a new home for GSD Museum, and also a new home for ASL Rose: https://www.facebook.com/donate/436509450618919/?fundraiser_source=external_url
