Forest Books: Claire L. Ramsey Deaf Children In Public (Mainstream) Schools

With the growing practice of mainstreaming deaf and partially deaf children, the performance of these students becomes critical. This book assesses the progress of three US pupils to demonstrate the importance of placement, context and language in their development. These children were placed in two different environments: either in a unit, or in hearing classes. The study reveals that although both types of placement were ostensibly educational, placing those in a hearing class was more to comply with legislation than to establish specific goals for the children. In contrast, the unit placement were designed more to concentrate upon the pupils' learning needs. It also demonstrates that the key educational element of language development cannot be achieved in a social vacuum, which deaf children face in the real isolation of the mainstream classroom. This study provides intricate answers to the many questions raised and offers educationalists, parents and students excellent study material when addressing the issues of mainstreaming deaf children. Please Note: this book was published in the USA as: Deaf Children in Public Schools. Hardcover 250 pages 1997