WEBVTT

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It's a constant search for balance. I think bilingualism is really important, also the identity formation. The best way for this is sign language...

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...because this language is 100% accessible for deaf people. Spoken language is also still important, in order to confidently interact with hearing people.

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But the base is sign language, spoken language is for on the side. In Groningen we saw that many deaf people are very confident, that impressed me.

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Then you wonder how that happened. We saw that there was much communication through sign language, we saw a strong deaf culture. I want my daughter to feel strong...

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...that she feels like she can handle society. The base that we saw there, we wish she'll have too, we think that's important.

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I like to wear the "balance glasses", with emphasis on sign language, deaf culture and the forming of identity. So she sees herself as 'fine'...

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I hope she won't feel disabled, but proud of who she is. As precious as she is. My hope for the future is that she'll be content with who she is...

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...that she won't think she misses a lot, needs to do certain things, or needs to always adapt. That she lives a relaxed life and is content with herself and her deafness.

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–That she is not afraid to stand up for herself and that she's strong enough to say for example: I'm deaf, I couldn't follow, could you please repeat once more?

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You should be proud that you're deaf. In St Michielgestel, which offered oral education back then, I wasn't stable. I wasn't proud of my deafness, didn't have a real language.

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I was always adapting to hearing people. It's a good thing if you're proud of your deafness, use an interpreter when necessary, not to be embarrassed when you can't follow something, etcetera.

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In August we went to the deaf school in Groningen among others.

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I expected primary schools to only use NGT, but you see it getting less. I think that's a shame.

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It makes me sad. You see that with the arrival of the CI supporting signs are used while speaking more and more. We were shocked to see that there are almost no children with just hearing aids...

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...almost all of them have a CI. On top of that, the introduction of appropriate education led to numbers dropping in deaf schools, which bothers me.

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The primary school in Groningen is getting more oral so they are more and more like the other deaf schools in the country, like Utrecht, for example. They all use sign-supported Dutch. Secondary education in Guyot is special...

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...because they're the only deaf school to offer mavo and havo level education. That's a strong point. Apart from that it seems to become more and more like the other schools, that are becoming more oral. Sing language seems to be dying out.

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You know why this would be a shame? How can deaf people who chat together follow each other? Then they'd have to lip-read. That would mean they're handicapped if you ask me.

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When they leave out their voice and communicate through sign language, information goes through the eyes, which work fine. Why is it so important that information goes through the ears, when these don't work perfectly?

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If they communicate through NGT, there's no hindrance in communication. In education you see the development of deaf children talking to deaf teachers.

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The teacher can't always understand the child. The balance is lost, if you ask me.

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It's a shame. I hope that there will be more balance in the future, that people understand the value of NGT, which is a 100% accessible to deaf people.

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Deaf people have a right to it, sign language is their natural language. Deaf people develop a sign language together naturally, with different grammar, and different word order.

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–It's also a very beautiful language! –It makes sense that it's harder for hearing people to learn it. They have to get used to the grammar and different word order, it takes a lot of practice. They do have to put in some effort.