Story of the Day 11/12/2010

Yesterday didn’t end at midnight.
Sarah realized that soon after her first class started, this morning.

Again, there was a substitute teacher- fortunately, not the same one as yesterday, but still an unfamiliar face at the front of the room.

And, again, Sarah sat and waited and the interpreter did not show up.

The sub took attendance.
He said something to Sarah. He paused and then he said it again. It was something like “Are you Sarah Margolis-Greenbaum?”

Of course, since Sarah is deaf, he could have whispered it or screamed it and it would have remained equally unheard by her. And nowhere in her IEP does it say that she can read lips- or that speaking to her is a disability accommodation for her. But at least this was coming from someone who seemed friendly and not in severe need of psychiatric medications.

Sarah nodded her head in acknowledgement, and the sub gave her some papers to work on.

Five minutes passed. No interpreter.

Ten minutes passed. No interpreter.

Finally, the interpreter arrives along with another student.

Since Sarah had finished her paperwork, the interpreter started in on her story.

As the interpreter was on her way to the classroom, this morning, she waylaid by this other student who had to share with her what had happened in the class, yesterday morning. When the sub took the attendance, some of the other students pointed to Sarah, when her name was called, and said “That is her. She is deaf”.

The sub then looked at Sarah and loudly called her name. She did this three or four times. The students again pointed to Sarah and told the sub that she was deaf.
At this, the sub became angry that Sarah had not responded to her.

Much of what followed is exactly as Sarah described it, but apparently, in addition the sub said a few very insulting things about Sarah being deaf that Sarah, being deaf, didn’t hear. And when Sarah had her head down while she was writing, the sub loudly ranted “Why doesn’t she respond to me?!”

Again, the other students told her, “Because she is deaf.”

Then when Sarah gave her the message she had written out, the one that said, “I cannot hear anything. I am deaf. My name is Sarah Margolis-Greenbaum.” The sub screamed to the classroom in a sarcastic voice, “Oh, she is deaf?!” And she continued yelling at Sarah when she gave her the papers to distribute to the other students.

And after Sarah left the room to go find the resource teacher, the sub, in a rage, slammed the door making a loud noise that, of course, Sarah never heard.

Then the sub proceeded to pick on this other student, who was an advanced student dong independent study, and made her do the beginning students’ worksheets. This was accompanied by some loud statements about how she (the sub) was in control. Even though, it was really rather obvious to everyone else that she was actually out of control.

I think I mentioned that Sarah knew the names of a grand total of two of the students. One of these is a boy with whom she has been friendly for many years. Yesterday evening, his mother asked him if anything happened in class and he said no. This was an expected response. He has autism and is often somewhat oblivious to things in the classroom. He is especially oblivious to things concerning people and their interactions. I believe he has been described as needing to work on his communication and social interaction skills.

However, this morning, during class, before the interpreter arrived, but after Sarah had been given her worksheets and was working on them, she felt a tapping on her desk.

Sarah looked up, and there this young man stood, with his notebook held up against his chest for her to see.

On it he had written, “Are you okay, today?”

Sarah nodded and gave him a thumb’s up signal, and he smiled at her and went back to his desk.

Not only could yesterday’s sub learn a lot from him about social skills and communication, so could a lot of other people.