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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Deaf students hope trustees listen to reason
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Loretta Bell and her daughter, Cassandra, want the River East division to continue funding its only teacher for deaf students.
Grade 9 student Cassandra Bell has thrived and excelled in school for nine years, despite being diagnosed in kindergarten with hearing loss that's deteriorated to deafness.
But River East Transcona School Division's budget has chopped the division's lone teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing.
That teacher "has been there since the day we found out Cassandra was deaf, nine years," said Cassandra's mother, Loretta Bell.
Bell said the teacher is being transferred back into the classroom and her position is being dropped.
The teacher worked with 50 students, seeing Cassandra at Robert Andrews School once every six days, Bell said.
The division has always had resource teachers who've worked with Cassandra and other hearing-impaired students, but the teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing has specialized skills that Bell said cannot be replaced.
"She got the division to put carpet down in the classroom to dampen down the noise. She brought in an interpreter" funded by the province for Cassandra, Bell said.
"Who is going to teach the teachers how to teach our deaf kids? "If (teachers) are specialized, why cut them out and send them into the regular classroom?"
The family went behind closed doors with trustees last week to appeal for reinstatement of the specialized position.
Superintendent Dennis Pottage said he won't comment until the issue is back before the board. The division notified parents March 19, after trustees passed a tax-freeze budget.
"Services will be provided by divisional staff and this may include speech and language pathologists, other members of the multidisciplinary team, and consultation from Manitoba Education outreach services for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Divisional personnel with expertise in the area of hearing impairment will also be available for team consultation during the transition period," said the division.
That's not enough considering a specialist is available who's worked with the kids as they've grown up, Bell said.
Cassandra has applied for the International Baccalaureate -- the most demanding academic program -- and despite her deafness, plays the flute.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 13, 2010 A5
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