front cover of My Life of Language
My Life of Language
A Memoir
Paul W. Ogden
Gallaudet University Press, 2017
Content Notice: ableism, mental illness, and suicide

Paul W. Ogden has dedicated his life to educating young deaf and hard of hearing people and raising awareness of what it means to be deaf in a hearing world. He has taught and mentored a generation of teachers, and his classic volume, The Silent Garden, has served as a guide for parents and educators for over thirty years. Now he tells his personal story of challenges faced and lessons learned, revealing that the critical, guiding factors for him have always been language and successful communication.
               Born in a time when many deaf children had no access to language, Paul learned spoken and written language skills at a young age through the painstaking efforts of his mother. His tight-knit family, which included one deaf and two hearing older brothers, facilitated open and constant communication using a variety of methods. His father was a pastor who was involved in the civil rights movement. He struggled with depression, an illness that would take the life of one of Paul’s brothers. As a student at a residential deaf school where the use of American Sign Language (ASL) was suppressed, Paul continued to build on the speech and lipreading skills he had learned at home. He returned home for high school and graduated as co-valedictorian—unaware of the standing ovation he received as he walked to the podium.
               Following a rewarding experience as an undergraduate at Antioch College, Paul went on to earn a PhD from the University of Illinois, a rare accomplishment for a deaf person at that time. During his graduate studies, he finally had the opportunity to learn ASL. As an award-winning professor of Deaf Studies at California State University, Fresno, he successfully petitioned for the university to recognize ASL as a language, and he established the Silent Garden program, which has grown into a flourishing provider of training and resources to support the Deaf community. In My Life of Language, Paul offers eloquent reflections on both the joyful and difficult periods of his life as he navigated relationships, faced discrimination, questioned his faith, and found great happiness in his marriage.
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The Silent Garden
Raising Your Deaf Child
Paul W. Ogden
Gallaudet University Press, 1996
"An informative, supportive work that should be a high priority purchase." --Library Journal "Valuable assistance in establishing a means of communication, this sensitive guide is firm support in helping parents make their difficult choices." --Kirkus Reviews Now, this completely rewritten edition presents parents of deaf children with more crucial information enhanced by the advances made in the general understanding of what it means to be deaf and the greater possibilities afforded deaf children today. Author Paul Ogden provides parents with a firm foundation for making the difficult decisions necessary to begin their child on the road to realizing his or her full potential. The Silent Garden orients parents to their child's lack of hearing, what usually is an earthshaking discovery to them. The broad range of types of hearing loss is explained, from minor loss to profound deafness, descriptions that clearly illustrate why being "deaf" does not indicate one specific set of characteristics. This encouraging book also informs parents that their sense of shock is a normal reaction, and that they need to address critical concerns right away, such as how to communicate with their child, including choosing the best mode. Parents also will have to consider what type of school their child should attend and what kinds of professional help will be best for the entire family. The Silent Garden describes all forms of communication, detailing the choices in sign communication from American Sign Language to the various manual systems based upon English. Technological alternatives are presented, including when and when not to consider cochlear implants. Case studies and interviews with parents of deaf children help to reassure parents that they can prepare their deaf child for a full, productive life. Paul W. Ogden is Professor in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders at California State University in Fresno, California.
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The Silent Garden
A Parent's Guide to Raising a Deaf Child
Paul W. Ogden
Gallaudet University Press, 2017
For over 30 years, The Silent Garden has offered parents of deaf children the support and unbiased information needed to fully realize their children’s potential. This completely revised third edition is a must-have resource that will help parents navigate the complex and unique challenges they face. Accessible, practical, and, above all, open-minded, The Silent Garden educates parents quickly and thoroughly about the many conflicting points of view on what is best for their deaf children.
       Authors Paul W. Ogden and David H. Smith, who are both deaf, present examples and research that guide parents through often unfamiliar territory. From coping mechanisms for parents to advice on creating healthy home environments, the authors cover a range of topics that impact day-to-day actions and decision-making. The topic of communication is discussed extensively as communication access and language development are crucial not only for intellectual growth, but also for positive family and social relationships. The authors look at American Sign Language, listening and spoken language, written English, and various other modes of communication available to deaf children. Different educational options are presented, and technology—including the debate about cochlear implants—is reviewed. Deaf children with special needs are considered here as well. Each topic is accompanied by real-life stories that offer further insight.
       Always encouraging, The Silent Garden empowers parents to be the best advocates for their deaf children. Throughout, the authors emphasize that each choice is highly personal, and they stress that all deaf children have the potential to lead rich, productive, and exciting lives.

Also available in Spanish - El Jardín Silencioso: Una guía para los padres para criar a un niño sordo is a condensed Spanish edition that features the first five chapters of The Silent Garden. Topics covered include coping mechanisms for parents, creating healthy family environments, fostering independence, and understanding the perspectives of siblings.
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front cover of The Silent Garden
The Silent Garden
A Parent’s Guide to Raising a Deaf Child
Paul W. Ogden
Gallaudet University Press, 2016
For over 30 years, The Silent Garden has offered parents of deaf children the support and unbiased information needed to fully realize their children’s potential. This completely revised third edition is a must-have resource that will help parents navigate the complex and unique challenges they face. Accessible, practical, and, above all, open-minded, The Silent Garden educates parents quickly and thoroughly about the many conflicting points of view on what is best for their deaf children.
       Authors Paul W. Ogden and David H. Smith, who are both deaf, present examples and research that guide parents through often unfamiliar territory. From coping mechanisms for parents to advice on creating healthy home environments, the authors cover a range of topics that impact day-to-day actions and decision-making. The topic of communication is discussed extensively as communication access and language development are crucial not only for intellectual growth, but also for positive family and social relationships. The authors look at American Sign Language, listening and spoken language, written English, and various other modes of communication available to deaf children. Different educational options are presented, and technology—including the debate about cochlear implants—is reviewed. Deaf children with special needs are considered here as well. Each topic is accompanied by real-life stories that offer further insight.
       Always encouraging, The Silent Garden empowers parents to be the best advocates for their deaf children. Throughout, the authors emphasize that each choice is highly personal, and they stress that all deaf children have the potential to lead rich, productive, and exciting lives.

Also available in Spanish - El Jardín Silencioso: Una guía para los padres para criar a un niño sordo is a condensed Spanish edition that features the first five chapters of The Silent Garden. Topics covered include coping mechanisms for parents, creating healthy family environments, fostering independence, and understanding the perspectives of siblings.
[more]

front cover of El Jardín Silencioso
El Jardín Silencioso
Una guía para los padres para criar a un niño sordo
Paul W. Ogden
Gallaudet University Press, 2017
Durante más de treinta años, The Silent Garden les ha ofrecido a los padres de niños sordos todo el apoyo y la información imparcial que necesitan para que sus hijos desarrollen su pleno potencial. Esta nueva edición en español, que contiene los cinco primeros capítulos de la tercera edición actualizada en inglés, aporta ayuda a los padres para afrontar aquellos retos tan únicos y complejos a los que se enfrentan. De un modo accessible, práctico y, sobre todo, imparcial, El Jardín Silencioso pone al día a los padres rápida y minuciosamente sobre los muchos y contradictorios puntos de vista que existen acerca del bienestar de los niños sordos. Los autores Paul W. Ogden y David H. Smith, ambos sordos, presentan ejemplos y estudios que les servirán de guía a los padres en un ámbito que a la mayoría les es desconocido. El Jardín Silencioso expone temas como el de las estrategias que los padres pueden adoptar para abordar la situación, el de cómo crear un ambiente familiar sano, el de cómo fomentar la independencia y el de cómo tener en cuenta el punto de vista de los hermanos del niño sordo. Cada tema viene acompañado de historias auténticas que enriquecen la discusión. Siempre en tono alentador, El Jardín Silencioso les otorga recursos a los padres para que se conviertan en los mejores defensores de sus hijos. A lo largo del libro, los autores destacan que cada opción se adhiere a una situación personal diferente y ponen hincapié en que todos los niños sordos tienen la capacidad de llevar una vida enriquecedora, productiva y estimulante.

       La narradora Paty Corcoran es originaria de la Ciudad de México y ha trabajado como traductora, intérprete y locutora durante casi diez años. Vive en el sur de California con su esposo y sus tres hijos, donde también trabaja como guía turística bilingüe. Paty se graduó con honores de la Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México con una licenciatura en Ciencias de la Comunicación.

For over 30 years, The Silent Garden has offered parents of deaf children the support and unbiased information needed to fully realize their children’s potential. This new Spanish edition, which contains the first five chapters of the completely updated 3rd English edition, will help parents navigate the complex and unique challenges they face.  Accessible, practical, and, above all, open-minded, El Jardín Silencioso educates parents quickly and thoroughly about the many conflicting points of view on what is best for their deaf children. Authors Paul W. Ogden and David H. Smith, who are both deaf, present examples and research that guide parents through often unfamiliar territory. El Jardín Silencioso covers the topics of communication, coping mechanisms for parents, creating healthy family environments, fostering independence, and understanding the perspectives of siblings. Always encouraging, El Jardín Silencioso empowers parents to be the best advocates for their deaf children.

       Audiobook narrator Paty Corcoran is a native of Mexico City and has worked as a translator, interpreter, and voice-talent for almost ten years. She lives in Southern California with her husband and three children, where she also works as a bilingual tour guide. Paty graduated with honors from Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico City with a degree in Communication Sciences.
[more]

front cover of El Jardín Silencioso
El Jardín Silencioso
Una guía para los padres para criar a un niño sordo
Paul W. Ogden
Gallaudet University Press, 2017
Durante más de treinta años, The Silent Garden les ha ofrecido a los padres de niños sordos todo el apoyo y la información imparcial que necesitan para que sus hijos desarrollen su pleno potencial. Esta nueva edición en español, que contiene los cinco primeros capítulos de la tercera edición actualizada en inglés, aporta ayuda a los padres para afrontar aquellos retos tan únicos y complejos a los que se enfrentan. De un modo accessible, práctico y, sobre todo, imparcial, El Jardín Silencioso pone al día a los padres rápida y minuciosamente sobre los muchos y contradictorios puntos de vista que existen acerca del bienestar de los niños sordos. Los autores Paul W. Ogden y David H. Smith, ambos sordos, presentan ejemplos y estudios que les servirán de guía a los padres en un ámbito que a la mayoría les es desconocido. El Jardín Silencioso expone temas como el de las estrategias que los padres pueden adoptar para abordar la situación, el de cómo crear un ambiente familiar sano, el de cómo fomentar la independencia y el de cómo tener en cuenta el punto de vista de los hermanos del niño sordo. Cada tema viene acompañado de historias auténticas que enriquecen la discusión. Siempre en tono alentador, El Jardín Silencioso les otorga recursos a los padres para que se conviertan en los mejores defensores de sus hijos. A lo largo del libro, los autores destacan que cada opción se adhiere a una situación personal diferente y ponen hincapié en que todos los niños sordos tienen la capacidad de llevar una vida enriquecedora, productiva y estimulante.

       La narradora Paty Corcoran es originaria de la Ciudad de México y ha trabajado como traductora, intérprete y locutora durante casi diez años. Vive en el sur de California con su esposo y sus tres hijos, donde también trabaja como guía turística bilingüe. Paty se graduó con honores de la Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México con una licenciatura en Ciencias de la Comunicación.

For over 30 years, The Silent Garden has offered parents of deaf children the support and unbiased information needed to fully realize their children’s potential. This new Spanish edition, which contains the first five chapters of the completely updated 3rd English edition, will help parents navigate the complex and unique challenges they face.  Accessible, practical, and, above all, open-minded, El Jardín Silencioso educates parents quickly and thoroughly about the many conflicting points of view on what is best for their deaf children. Authors Paul W. Ogden and David H. Smith, who are both deaf, present examples and research that guide parents through often unfamiliar territory. El Jardín Silencioso covers the topics of communication, coping mechanisms for parents, creating healthy family environments, fostering independence, and understanding the perspectives of siblings. Always encouraging, El Jardín Silencioso empowers parents to be the best advocates for their deaf children.

       Audiobook narrator Paty Corcoran is a native of Mexico City and has worked as a translator, interpreter, and voice-talent for almost ten years. She lives in Southern California with her husband and three children, where she also works as a bilingual tour guide. Paty graduated with honors from Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico City with a degree in Communication Sciences.
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front cover of Alone in the Mainstream
Alone in the Mainstream
A Deaf Woman Remembers Public School
Gina A. Oliva
Gallaudet University Press, 2004

When Gina Oliva first went to school in 1955, she didn’t know that she was “different.” If the kindergarten teacher played a tune on the piano to signal the next exercise, Oliva didn’t react because she couldn’t hear the music. So began her journey as a “solitary,” her term for being the only deaf child in the entire school. Gina felt alone because she couldn’t communicate easily with her classmates, but also because none of them had a hearing loss like hers. It wasn’t until years later at Gallaudet University that she discovered that she wasn’t alone and that her experience was common among mainstreamed deaf students. Alone in the Mainstream recounts Oliva’s story, as well as those of many other solitaries.

In writing this important book, Oliva combined her personal experiences with responses from the Solitary Mainstream Project, a survey that she conducted of deaf and hard of hearing adults who attended public school. Oliva matched her findings with current research on deaf students in public schools and confirmed that hearing teachers are ill-prepared to teach deaf pupils, they don’t know much about hearing loss, and they frequently underestimate deaf children. The collected memories in Alone in the Mainstream add emotional weight to the conviction that students need to be able to communicate freely, and they also need peers to know they are not alone.

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front cover of Alone in the Mainstream
Alone in the Mainstream
Looking Back on Public School as a Deaf or Hard of Hearing Child
Gina A. Oliva
Gallaudet University Press, 2024
In 1975, federal legislation initiated drastic changes in the education of deaf and hard of hearing children. Public Law 94-142, later known as IDEA, proposed to provide the “Least Restrictive Environment” for all such children. In the years since, advocates for deaf and hard of hearing children have raised the alarm that mainstream educational settings can cause language and social deprivation for these children.

In Alone in the Mainstream, author Gina A. Oliva documents her experience as a “solitaire,” the only deaf or hard of hearing student in her school. Oliva felt alone because she couldn’t communicate easily with her classmates and because she had no peers who shared a similar experience. As an adult, when she began her career at Gallaudet University, she realized that she wasn’t alone and that her experience was shared widely with other mainstreamed students.  She decided to write about this commonality and invited other solitaires to reflect on their own experiences in emails and essays. Collective themes of isolation, low expectations, and low self-esteem emerged. Alone in the Mainstream blends Oliva’s personal narrative with the reflections of sixty other solitaires and makes the case that deaf and hard of hearing children need each other.

This twentieth anniversary edition is a reminder that little has changed for deaf and hard of hearing students in public school settings. Oliva brings this new edition up to date with observations, resources, and discussion questions that accompany her appeal for all deaf and hard of hearing children and their families to have access to sign language, to develop a deaf identity, and to be part of a deaf community.
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front cover of Turning the Tide
Turning the Tide
Making Life Better for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Schoolchildren
Gina A. Oliva
Gallaudet University Press, 2014
Both Gina A. Oliva and Linda Risser Lytle know what it is like to be the only deaf student in a mainstream school. Though they became successful educators, they recognize the need to research the same isolation experienced by other deaf and hard of hearing persons. In this way, they hope to improve education for current and future deaf students. Their efforts have culminated in Turning the Tide: Making Life Better for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Schoolchildren.
 
       Turning the Tide presents a qualitative study of deaf and hard of hearing students who attended mainstream schools. The authors conducted three focus groups in different regions in the country, enlisting six to eight participants with diverse backgrounds for each session. They also gathered information from 113 online respondents who answered the same questions used in the focus groups. The respondents discussed many issues, including the difficulties of finding friends and social access, the struggle to establish an identity, the challenges of K-12 interpreting and class placement, and the vast potential of summer and weekend programs for deaf students. Their empowering stories clearly demonstrate that no deaf or hard of hearing student should be educated alone. The authors also elicited comments on other changes that parents, advocates, and other allies could work toward to improve further the educational environment of deaf children.
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front cover of For “Children Who Vary from the Normal Type”
For “Children Who Vary from the Normal Type”
Robert Osgood
Gallaudet University Press, 2000
In his perceptive study of the education of disabled children during the 19th and early 20th centuries, Robert Osgood focuses upon the Boston school system as both typical and a national leader among urban centers at that time. Osgood points out that a host of significant figures worked in education in the region, including Horace Mann, George Emerson, and John Philbrick, and also Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, Samuel Gridley Howe, Edouard Seguin, Hervey Wilbur, and Walter Fernald, each of the latter group noted for first founding and/or directing institutions for individuals with disabilities.

For “Children Who Vary from the Normal Type” describes the growth of Boston and its educational system during this period, then examines closely the emergence of individual programs that catered to students formally identified as having special needs: intermediate schools and ungraded classes; three separate programs for students with children; special classes for mentally retarded children; and other programs established between 1908 and 1913. Osgood describes these programs and their relations with each other, and also the rationales offered for their establishment and support. This detailed examination graphically depicts how patterns of integration and segregation in special education shifted over time in Boston, and provides a foundation for continuing the present-day discussion of the politics and realities of inclusion.
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front cover of The History of Inclusion in the United States
The History of Inclusion in the United States
Robert L. Osgood
Gallaudet University Press, 2005

As a significant term, inclusion came into use relatively recently in the long history of special education in the United States. Since the 1800s, when children with disabilities first were segregated for instruction in public schools, professionals and parents have called for more equitable, “normal” treatment of these students, and for closer contact with their nondisabled peers. Through the years, the central issues of the discussions between educators and parents have focused on who should be considered disabled and who should bear responsibility for planning and providing for their education. The History of Inclusion in the United States traces the antecedents of this ongoing debate to answer questions about what inclusion is, how it came to be, and where it might go.

In this comprehensive study, author Robert L. Osgood reveals how the idea of inclusion has evolved into broader realms of thought and practice. In its earliest manifestations, educators dwelled upon the classroom setting itself, wondering whether “disabled” children belonged there; if not, why not; and if so, how this could be accomplished? By the late 1960s, the scope of the discussion had shifted to assess the comprehensive structures of special education and its relationship with general education. The History of Inclusion seamlessly follows this progression into the present decade, in which current educational policy questions the need for any sort of separate “special education” in principle and structure.

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