It’s a sobering thought: children who don’t even know they have a name.
Still, it’s something that can happen if a child has little to no access to language growing up. A far-fetched scenario for many, but one that is all too possible for deaf children born to hearing parents.
“Most parents don’t know sign language,” said Angela Nagata, who teaches deaf students at Waimea Elementary School. “Ninety-five percent of the students are born to parents who have never met a deaf person until their student is born. The deaf community here is so small.”
Nagata has had students who enter her classroom as kindergartners lacking the linguistic foundation to begin learning their ABCs and 123s.
“They had zero language, just gestures, pointing, facial expressions or crying — when they’re 5 or 6,” she said. “Their cognitive abilities were definitely beyond that, but they were in a world that was devoid of language because they couldn’t hear.”
A piece of legislation moving through the statehouse seeks to change that.
Senate Bill 2476, introduced by Oahu Sens. Suzanne Chun Oakland, Breene Harimoto and Maile Shimabukuro, would create an early language acquisition program for children under the age of 3 who are deaf, hard of hearing or deaf-blind. It also forms a working group of parents, teachers and state officials to tackle bringing more language-learning resources to the children so their development can stay on pace with that of hearing children.
Chun Oakland said this is the first time the bill has been introduced.
“Basically, we want to make sure that from a young age, there were supports available for these children so that as they grow older they … definitely are in a better position to take advantage of their public education,” she said. The bill is part of this year’s Keiki Caucus package. It’s also part of a broader national campaign to bring more language resources to deaf children, said Colin Whited of the Pacific Disabilities Center in Honolulu. Whited was part of the task force that initiated the bill.
“For deaf children — or really any children — to have language by the time they are kindergarten age increases their chances for success in life,” he said through an American Sign Language interpreter. Whited, who was born deaf to deaf parents, added that the ultimate goal was making children more independent.
“They come in (to kindergarten) and they have language, and they’re ready to learn and make a huge impact,” Nagata said.
Access to learning resources for children who are not yet in kindergarten is complicated by the fact that this age group falls under the jurisdiction of two different state agencies. The Department of Education is responsible for children ages 3 and up, while the Department of Health is responsible for those under age 3.