Gallaudet University for the deaf is not beneficial to the deaf.

A) Gallaudet University isolates the deaf and prohibits them from finding definitive methods to cope with a hearing world. I will elaborate on my first point. Isolating hearing impaired people does not benefit them in any way shape or form. However, educators believe it does, and I disagree. As someone who is pretty hearing impaired (Profound loss in my right ear, moderately severe in my left), the hearing impaired are treated exponentially different than those with other challenges or "disabilities". After being discriminated against for years, they teach us not to be such a "silent" minority. However, what most of these educators do not realize is that it is them doing it to us. From that first grade speech class, to that high school preferential seating card it has been happening at the hands of those who supposedly know what is best for us. Gallaudet University advocates patience and dedication and unfortunately, the real world doesn't offer that [4]. B) Integration of the hearing and deaf community happens way too late at Gallaudet University. What I mean by this is that when one applies to Gallaudet University, the undergraduate admissions programs generally only accept those with severe hearing loss, as a result many moderately hearing impaired students who may need just as much help as the profoundly deaf are pushed to the wayside. In addition to this, Gallaudet allows hearing students to apply for the graduate program. The rationale for this is so that hearing people can major in ASL or Hearing and Speech at a university that is supposedly centered on an ASL/English curriculum. Though Gallaudet promotes that it is a bilingual university, this bilingualism only happens in the graduate program, a full four years after someone enters the school. C) Deaf people are already pretty fluent in sign language by the time they get to college - age depending on what age their hearing impairment started. However, most hearing impaired people are at different levels speech wise. Depending on the onset of loss a hearing impaired person could speak at level that a toddler would whereas someone else, by way of cochlear implant or severe studying could adapt a voice. As someone who was not born deaf, the frustrations of speech barriers and impediments are constant and tedious. If Gallaudet were to focus more on speech then it might possibly benefit the community more. On to my opponent's arguments : "The deaf require a special learning..." -> Deaf people can do everything but hear, can you provide a statistic where deaf people perform better in these environments? As a matter of fact, deaf people prefer regular public education over special treatment. [5] "it also gives them personal benefits..." -> How so? There is no life skills course at Gallaudet, there is no, "This is what life is like in the hearing world 101" the best way to learn these skills is by adapting to the hearing community. I would also like to mention, that social well - being is not necessarily promoted at an all deaf school. There is a lot of resentment in the deaf community towards other members of the deaf community; for example, there are many deaf people who have a problem with those who use cochlear implants. In addition to this, deaf - hearing relationships have double to even triple the divorce rates of hearing - hearing relationships. There is nothing more crushing than having all these friends at "deaf school" and then having none in the real world. In conclusion, Gallaudet is not beneficial to the deaf. It does not promote bilingualism and in addition does not allow for hearing - deaf interaction to occur until it is much too late. The deaf do not wish to be treated preferentially, just equally, which does not happen at GU. For the sake of the hearing impaired, vote Pro. I thank my opponent for this debate, and wouldn't mind discussing this further. Sources: [4] - http://www.gallaudet.edu... [5] - http://www.talentknowsnolimi...