INDIANAPOLIS - The state's deaf community and their families are pushing back over proposed changes by the board of the Indiana School for the Deaf.
Governor Mitch Daniels recently appointed four new board members to the school, but some parents of students don't think the new members are on the right track.
The mission of the Indiana School for the Deaf is to educate deaf and hard of hearing children, but how those children are educated could change. The governor's appointment of non-deaf board members drew sharp criticism at a meeting last week.
"We have one deaf person at a huge table that is mostly populated by hearing people. We need people who understand [American Sign Language], deaf culture," said one person at the meeting.
Three of the four new board members do have deaf children, but they don't attend ISD and they support a different form of education - one that has divided the deaf community for more than 150 years. Half of the community believes in "oralism," which is correcting deafness medically and teaching speech. The other half embraces American Sign Language, which is taught at the Indiana school.
"If you want a teacher teaching in ASL directly to your child, this is it," said Kim Yurek.
Yurek's son has attended ISD for the past seven years. She's among those calling for the new members to step down.
"Why would they be part of an organization that is something, philosophically, that they are diametrically opposed to? How can they support the school if they don't agree with it?" Yurek asked.
"We think there's an opportunity for new board members to bring new ideas for consideration. We hope everyone will get to know them and give them a chance," said a spokeswoman for the governor.
But parents who attended last week's meeting aren't interested. They say it's not personal, they just want representatives with the same philosophy.
"So please forgive me that we want to throw you out. We're not going to stop until you're gone. We won't let you stay, period. So I suggest you just resign, do the right thing," said a parent.
That may be the only option, because the governor has no intention of reversing his decision. Besides the resignations, the parents are demanding that the board consist of at least six deaf members. They also want the governor to establish transparent procedures for appointing new members.
