The need for conflict resolution and a common moral language
Saturday May 14th 2005, 10:00am — 10:30am
Dr. Capi Wever
Deaf educational history has been stained by episodes of profound and enduring conflict. The most recent sources of conflict have been over sign language and the place of paediatric cochlear implants. Conflict has, in some sense, been necessary and hence positive in that it marked transition between sequential paradigms. Yet occasionally conflict can obscure progress and inhibit us from actually making use of what is available to us. Hence, the risk of conflict is that it itself becomes a main determinant of history.
Recent history has stirred and challenged deaf education once again through the emergence of sign language and, shortly after, the rapid rise of cochlear implantation. Furthermore, early detection of deafness through OAE or ABR became available in an increasing number of countries. Today these developments provide us with exiting new tools that promise to change the landscape for many, if not most, deaf children. Yet even today conflict threatens the huge promises that these developments provide our deaf youngsters, and understandably so. Deaf history has left many sceptic, even emotionally injured, and it naturally takes time to overcome this. Moreover, the many and divers disciplines involved in deafness today challenge us to think beyond our common professional boundaries, and demand that we become familiar with the language spoken by others. Also, the stakes have at times become very real and personal in our harsh economically driven political world, something that can lead us to consider our own stakes in addition to those of deaf children. Hence, conflict and a trench war over absolute methods and opinion may arise.
It is crucial to realize however that in spite of the great leaps that we have made, no perfect technology or method has emerged. I believe it to be unlikely that such a technology will emerge in the near future. Uncertainty and moral ambiguity will hence remain a factor that we will have to face and learn to reason with. In order to be effective in reasoning with moral ambiguity we need first of all bury our political motives, scepticism and old sores, to come to speak a collective language that is centred around the best interest of deaf children. This language must necessarily be one of nuance, sensitivity and detail yet also pragmatic and embedded in mutual respect. If we succeed in doing so, we can actually succeed to mobilize all that we have gained over the last years in a highly flexible and individually oriented approach that will provide each and every deaf child with the best feasible opportunities.
Download Presentation
| File Name : 18_Capi+Weaver.pdf | Download »  |
| File Type : PDF | |
| File Size : 831k |
Privacy Policy · This website achieves AAA level accessibility and is written using standards compliant markup
9th Sep 2010 · design & development by Presence Multimedia
| 