Download Cultural Sensitivity - Georgia State University

Georgia State University Series:
Early Intervention with
Children who are Deaf and
Hard of Hearing
Part 1, Presentation 4
July 2001
Cultural Sensitivity
And Early Intervention
Culture Defined
“Set of shared attitudes, values, goals
and practices that characterize a group.”
What is Cultural Sensitivity?
Tolerance
Acceptance
Accommodation
Assimilation
Discussion
 Deaf Culture
 Other Hearing
Cultures
 Verbal
Communication vs.
 Non-Verbal
Communication
Discussion (Continued)
Values
Multiple Perspectives
Deaf Culture
Identification
Common Language
Shared Experiences
Identification
Familial
Societal
Language
ASL
– Ability to freely express oneself
– Freely understand others
– Allow interaction with others
Experiences
Common heritage
Proud cultural heritage
Develop a sense of identity, integrity and
belonging
Other Hearing Cultures
Increased Diversity
Impact of verbal and non-verbal behaviors
Values
Verbal Communication
Words
Concepts expressed as
– Sound (speech)
– Sign
– Print
Non-Verbal Communication
Kinesics
– Bodily movements such as headshake or
gesture
Proxemics
– Personal space
Haptics
– Touching behaviors
Non-Verbal (continued)
Artifacts
– Materials created to communicate certain
messages
Silence
– Amount of time obligated to talk to someone
Time
– Continuum
Values
 Environment vs. sense
of fate or destiny
 Change as
positive/natural vs.
valuation of stability,
tradition and
continuity
 Time as precious
commodity vs. human
interaction
 Equality/fairness vs.
hierarchy, rank &
status
Values (continued)
 Self-help & initiative
vs. birthright &
inheritance
 Competition vs.
cooperation
 Individualism &
independence vs.
group welfare &
dependence
 Future vs. past
orientation
Values (continued)
 Action & work vs.
“being” orientation
 Directness vs.
indirectness
 Practicality vs.
 Informality vs.
formality
idealism, theory and
beauty
 Materialism &
acquisition vs.
spirituality
Multiple Perspectives
Be knowledgeable in the application of the
philosophy being espoused by the teacher
education program and
Perspective (continued)
Be able to identify how and where to
gather information about other
philosophies, modes and languages that
may be encountered
Roadblocks to Multiple
Pathways Pedagogy
5 basic mind-sets
–
–
–
–
–
Modality bias
Language bias
Stepping on other’s toes
Blaming the child
Betraying our roots
Modality Bias
The assumption the WE have the right to
choose the modality through which a child
is going to learn best.
Language Bias
Which language can the child most easily
access in all its complexities? This is the
important question to answer.
Stepping on Toes
Avoid being afraid to step on toes when
necessary and know when toes must be
stepped on.
Blame the Child
A child should not be blamed for his/her
failure to use a given modality, language,
or technology to a level that satisfies us.
Betray our Roots
Develop an open mind to learn rapidly
from all experiences instead of leaning
toward a particular bias, because you
learned it that way.
Conclusion
REMEMBER
Not just dealing with a set of ears but with
a Child and
Child lives within the context of a unique
family culture.
Resources
Easterbrooks, S., Ed.D (2001) Early
Hearing Detection and Intervention
(EHDI) Teleconference