The television show Switched at birth is the tale of two families that had their daughters switched at the hospital, resulting in them not knowing about their biological families till 7 years later. In the first few episodes you see for the beginning that the major problem between the two families is that one of the daughters is deaf. Daphnie become deaf at the age of three and her biological parents have yet to accept the fact that she is different and not perfect. Daphnies non biological mother has accepted the fact that she will never be like other kids and has accepted her for the way she is. Her biological parents continue to push her to attend a mainstream school and even offered to pay for a cochlear implant but her denied both offers. Switched at Birth continues to show the barrier between the deaf community and the hearing community and shows that difficulties that lie in the hearing world for deaf individuals.
Imagine teaching a student that is inattentive, behaves poorly in class, obtaining bad grades, and does not seem to fit in well with the other students. Most people would correspond this behavior to ADHD or ADD but few people think to consider the possibility of hearing loss. Regardless of the severity or the age, loss of hearing has a large negative effect on a students academic performance and social development. People with this disability have difficulties attending regular public schools. In 87 the first school for the deaf was founded in West Hartford, Connecticut by Thomas Gallaudet. Specialized schools that tailor towards the deaf and blind can provide those students with the proper attention needed to help them become successful. While a part of a
deaf school hard of hearing students often find it easier to socialize with other people and interact with their trained teachers. Unlike mainstream schools the need of an interpreter is unnecessary. Deaf schools offer impaired students the opportunity to participate in after school activities and team sports that would not be offered to them in a mainstream school. Classrooms are typically smaller in a deaf school to better fit and benefits students needs. While Deaf schools seem to be the go-to solution, many students who are deaf choose not to attend a Deaf and blind school. Over 75% of deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) students in the U.S. are mainstreamed in public school programs (Antia, 203). Many mainstream schools offer greater education which include a wider variety of subjects that include fine arts such as drama classes. The major difference between deaf and mainstream schools is the separation between the deaf community and the hearing community. Being a part of a mainstream school will offer more opportunities to socialize with hearing peers and experience the tendencies of hearing individuals. The television show Switched at Birth highlighted daphnies want to stay at a deaf rather than go to a public school. While I believe that mainstream education is important, I also think that the decision between a mainstream school and deaf school should be decided based on the individuals personality. While 75% of deaf students attend mainstream schools but that does not mean that all of them are thriving in a mixed environment. Both education opportunities have positives to them in the end the decision should be made to best benefit the individuals personality and needs.