Deaf Schools in many states closing?

G'day Everyone.

There is a shock wave that is ripping through the deaf communities across the United States of America.

If it wasn't the first warning that our deaf clubs were closing their doors due to low memberships, then it went ignored.

If it wasn't the 2nd warning that State Governments were starting to limit Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) money and that OVR was trying to convince their deaf clients, the deaf students, to go to the community colleges in state in favor of mainstream education rather than going to NTID, Gallaudet, or CSUN, then it went ignored. Some said "No worries, State money will bounce back later".

But now, SHOULD THE DEAF COMMUNITY BE CONCERNED WHEN DEAF SCHOOLS ARE CLOSING!? HELL YES! It's amazing that the state governments would turn on the deaf community and take their deaf schools from them and say "We got no money to support you. Your parents have to make arrangements to send you to public or private mainstream schools.".

That is the state taking away support of deaf education and forcing deaf students to adapt to hearing classes. They do this because they want to save TAXPAYER dollars.

But what about other disabled people who depend on state services as well? Could their funds be threatened too? Yep.

I hate to say it, We all have to be concerned. We have to be organized and active. We have to help these deaf schools stay open. We have to convince the states that a DEAF EDUCATION IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT AS EDUCATION FOR THE HEARING SCHOOLS. Some deaf students thrive better when they are around their own peers. Some deaf students don't mind mainstream either.

Given the last 30 years, Deaf Education and mainstream education have gotten better. But, state government should focus on stopping the political lawmakers from loading up pork barrel projects or pet projects being attached to state bills.

In the last 100 years of our nation's congress, too many personal pork barrel projects and pet projects have been attached by law makers in hopes of being re-elected to their position every year by their voters if the voters see what benefits pork/pet projects can do for them.

What happens when our State and Federal government really does go broke when a lawmaker's act of hiding a pet project in a bill finally gets passed and then it's law and then the pet project is found but too late. Everything shuts down. Every social services goes kaput. That lawmaker might run for his dear life because he bankrupted the government.

No federal or state act of injecting a stimulus into budgets isn't going to help because we are already in a massive economic failure started ex-president Bush. Bush knowingly has created this mess and isn't ashamed for it. He tried to stop it and failed. Obama will fail too. Governors know this because states could lose a lot of Federal dollars that are not going to help the States.

So what do we do? Deaf Schools alumni are already facing financial crisis of their own as well. We, the deaf community, must convince the state governors that there are pork barrel projects, that law makers voted on in the past bills, can and must be cancelled. In these economic times, there are more public services that are importantly needed, including helping deaf schools and handicapped individuals, than pet/personal projects that lawmakers want to use tax payer money for.

We must call for an end to irresponsible waste of taxpayer dollars from Federal and State Governments. Every President and Governors want this. It's time we tell our State and congressional political people that it's time to act being responsible. If those long time political people in their offices (whom some should take last year's election as a warning that many long time people were VOTED out of their offices, they could be NEXT this year!), don't see last year's election, they could find themselves in the unemployment lines in the next fall elections.

Time to get together. Time to call for action. Time to save our deaf schools. We have a reason to act now.

Semper Fi!