My First Parents (родители) Meeting

This morning, I had my first meeting with parents of deaf and hard of hearing students at the “Special School.”

Dr. Krsek thinks the meeting went well.  For me, it is hard to tell, as everyone speaks in Russian, and maybe a bit of Ukrainian, but no one appeared tense or concerned.

The purpose of the meeting was to describe to the parents Dr. Krsek's plans to admit deaf and hard of hearing students to V. Dahl East Ukrainian National University and what she would be doing to facilitate their children’s success at the university.  This would be a first, as Ukrainian adolescents with hearing loss do not attend programs of higher education after high school.  Indeed, all students with disabilities do not generally attend university programs following graduation.  Dr. Krsek wants to change that and has requested my assistance in accomplishing this goal.  The parents seemed, in her words, “vaguely interested” in the idea.  She said the next step is to arrange private meetings with individual parents.

The second part of the meeting was to introduce me to the parents and describe the work I will be doing at the university and the local school for the deaf.  I spoke about practices in the U.S. in the area of higher education and explained the importance of helping deaf and hard of hearing students prepare for college or vocational training.  I also described the process of writing an Individual Education Plan and parents’ roles in developing IEP’s for their children.  They seem receptive to my brief talk and a few asked me questions about the experiences of deaf and hard of hearing students in the U.S.  One mother even asked me if deaf individuals drive in the U.S.!

My impression of the meeting was favorable, and I think we will be able to convince some parents (hopefully most) that higher education is a very practical and necessary aspiration for youth who are deaf or hard of hearing.  Currently, most parents do not believe their children can succeed at a university and consequently favor keeping them at home following graduation, but that is neither appropriate nor practical for their children.  Hopefully, we will be able to change hearts and minds in this area.

As I looked at the faces in the auditorium, it was like any other parent meeting in the U.S.  Aside from the language differences, I could have been at a typical meeting in any American school.  One thing was absolutely the same:  parents’ concerns for the welfare of their children.

After the meeting, Dr. Krsek and I talked as we walked in the snow back to the university.  She is very enthusiastic and sincere in wanting to make signification changes in Ukrainian education.  She wants all children to have the opportunity to attend university, whether or not they have a disability.  The road will be long and difficult, as educational reform has stalled at the government level, as the director of the school noted, but she is still very hopeful.

The director of the school for the deaf gave me a poster of the Ukrainian manual alphabet.  It is very cool.  I want to frame it when I get back to the U.S.  If I can find a data cable for my digital camera (I left mine at home), I will take a picture of it and upload it to my blog.