Award Winning Deaf Education Blog Review

Introduction and Purpose

Heidi Givens, Author of the reviewed blog

Heidi's Take on Deaf Education is a blog written by Heidi Givens who has taught Deaf Education in three states over the past twenty years.  Her blog is sprinkled with a large variety of topics related to deafness and Deaf culture.  She also discusses the challenges faced by the professionals and students within Deaf Education.  Within her blog, one can find interviews and Q&A sessions related to her field. Through her blog, Heidi desires to "share [her] expertise and professional opinions on the education of deaf and hard of hearing students."

Benefits for the Readers
Heidi's blog offers honest and personal insight into the field of Deaf Education.  Often, parents who are new to the world of deafness to become easily overwhelmed with all of the information that is provided at the onset of their child's hearing loss. The perspective of medical and educational professionals can seem like a foreign language to someone who is not already familiar with the terminology.  Public school teachers who have never had a deaf student will also benefit from this blog. Teaching deaf students requires extra effort on behalf of the teacher and also requires modification to the classroom. The best thing about this blog is that it provides an insider's perspective in a way that can easily be understood by an "outsider" or by someone who is new to the world of deafness.

Details from Heidi's Posts

Dare to see the world through Deaf eyes.

Several of Heidi's posts contain information that stands out to me because that information directly relates to things I am currently learning in my Interpreter Training Program.  Her most recent post discusses Audism and how it relates to hearing professionals working with deaf and hard of hearing students.  Respect for American Sign Language and Deaf Culture is of high importance to those in the Deaf Community. Their language and culture are a cherished part of their lives and it is expected that the hearing professionals that they accept into their community will cherish it too. Heidi explains that after self-reflection she came to the realization that she was guilty of having audist tendencies.  Her explanation and insight on this topic is informational and inspiring.  A second post that I would like to comment on her post titled Spotlight on Deaf Education which presents Q&As about the learning and educational experiences of deaf children.  She begins this blog by pointing out that deaf students learn differently than hearing students and goes on to share her hopes for the future of Deaf Education.  Both of these, and many other posts on Heidi's blog prove to contain accurate and relevant information for parents and Deaf Education professionals who wish to gain unique and inspiring insight into the world of Deaf Education and Deaf Culture.