Mainstream school vs deaf school: what’s the difference and the respective pros & cons?

A common difficulty for many parents or students to make is to decide which school to apply and attend.

But it’s a completely unique and different set of challenges for deaf or hard of hearing students. It’s not about deciding which school to go to, but rather whether to go to a mainstream or deaf school.

It’s a complex situation because the big challenge is that there isn’t a clear-cut answer that suits everyone.

But to help you go in the right direction, it’s crucial to understand the difference between mainstream school and deaf schools, whilst also understanding the pros and cons of both types of schools.

Important: this post is a guideline and you should use that as such. Also be aware that every single student, regardless of whether that person is hearing, deaf, hard of hearing, ethnic minority, wheelchair user, family background, etc. is different. Do bear that in mind as you scroll down below.

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Tl;dr

If you just want to get an overview of this topic, you can get that below:

• Mainstream school is the general, non-specialised schools that most young children goes to, have the same classes and curriculums that are standardised by the education board and are generally consist of hearing students and staff.
• Deaf school is a niche non-standardised school designed for young children who are deaf and mainly taught in sign language by specialised ‘teacher of the deaf’.
• Everyone has their own experiences and requirements. One person’s education experience does not mean another person will go through the same experience.
• When deciding which type of schools to go to, the top priority should be on the child rather than the parent/guardian.

Below is an overview of what could happen in both types of schools if you are deaf:

At a Mainstream School	At a Deaf School
Likely to be the only or one of the very few D/HoH students	Be amongst many D/HoH students and less likely to be lonely
Classes and curriculums are standardised by the authority	Classes and curriculums are not as standardised but may be more flexible to accommodate each students
Academic standards are seen as higher and more widely accepted by colleges/universities	Dependent on schools and locations, academic standard may be seen as lower
Teachers are rarely deaf aware and may struggle to cater for each students	Teachers are deaf aware and can cater to each students’ individual needs better
Better prepared for the “real” (hearing) world	Not as prepared for the hearing world outside of the school as hearing students
Very little to no use of sign language, with oral languages being used more	Sign language is the main form of language to enable easy communication
3rd party interpreters (if funding is available) are required for signing students	No 3rd party interpreters are required as staff and students already communicate in sign language
Topic of deafness are seen as disability, “special needs” and a medical problem	Deaf culture are seen as part of a proud socio-cultural minority group
Deaf culture, history and linguistics are unheard of by most people and not taught	Deaf culture and history are taught and encouraged with strong Deaf role models included
Widely accessible in most countries with many options of schools to choose from in most areas	May struggle to find one near you, as they are less available and harder to find
Some teachers and fellow students may lack appreciation or compassion for the students	Teachers and fellow students have complete appreciation or compassion for the students
May require additional tutoring, speech therapists and other forms of private lessons in order to keep up with the rest of the class	May be able to keep up with most students and the demand of the classes

You can watch the video…

…listen to the podcast…

…or read on below.

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Table of Content (Click on the link below)

• What is Mainstream School?
• What is Deaf School?
• Pros & Cons of Mainstream Education for Deaf/Hard of Hearing Students
• Pros & Cons of Deaf Education for Deaf/Hard of Hearing Students
• My Personal Experience as a Deaf/Hard of Hearing Student in a Mainstream Public Schools

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What is mainstream school?

The most common type of school are the mainstream schools that most people are familiar with.

They are the general public/private schools, which are taught using oral languages and authorised under the same local education authorities. Most of the students have no forms of disabilities or special requirements (thought they still do exist, which is something that I have experienced with).

What is deaf school?

Although they are less common than mainstream schools, deaf school are more niche but still exists across the world.This is where the school is naturally catered for the deaf students and their respective needs.

The school predominantly taught and communciated in sign languages by specialised ‘teacher of the deaf’ who have better understanding and deaf awareness about their students than the generic mainstream teachers.

Pros & cons of mainstream education for deaf/hard of hearing students

Let’s go over the pros and cons of mainstreaming deaf students:

Pros	Cons
Classes and curriculums are standardised by the authority	Likely to be the only or one of the very few D/HoH students which can then create sense of loneliness
Better prepared for the “real” (hearing) world	Teachers are rarely deaf aware
More options are available and more widely accessible in most areas	Very little to no use of sign languages
Academic standards are seen as higher and more widely accepted by colleges/universities	Teachers may struggle to accommodate and understand the needs of deaf students
	May require additional tutoring, speech therapists and other forms of private lessons in order to keep up with the rest of the class
	Deaf culture and history are not understood
	Deafness is seen as “special needs” and a problem rather than a proud identity
	There are little to no compassions due to lack of deaf awareness in most schools

It’s important to understand that how a deaf student goes through mainstream school is different to one another. What one student goes through will not necessarily mean the exact same thing will happen to another.

Everyone will have their own experiences and the table above is a common but still somewhat of a general overview rather than a guarantee of what will happen.

You can look at my own personal examples of attending mainstream school.

Pros & cons of deaf education for deaf/hard of hearing students

And now, let’s go over pros and cons of attending deaf schools:

Pros	Cons
Be amongst many D/HoH students, thus more likely to have interactions with other students and less likely to be alone	Colleges/universities are less likely to understand or accept the generic non-standardised qualifications
Teachers are more deaf aware and can be better support the individual students’ needs	May not be as prepared for the hearing world outside of the school as hearing students at mainstream schools
Sign languages are more common, which minimises any communication problems that can come as a result of not hearing other people talking orally	Less options are available near you and you may have to uproot to attend a deaf school
No extra funding are required for interpreters	There are question marks over the academic standards, depending on the schools and locations
Being deaf is a proud identity, with Deaf culture and history are frequently taught
Everyone will have an understanding and compassion for the students

And just as mentioned earlier, an experience from D/HoH student to another is unique.

Since I have never attended a deaf school, you can get a general idea of what goes on behind-the-scenes at one deaf school in Rochester, New York in the video below:

My personal experience as a deaf/hard of hearing student in a mainstream public schools

Throughout my entire life, I have attended mainstream schools, but I never considered not doing that. It was normal for me, which perhaps made it easier by not being profoundly deaf.

Until recently over the past few years, I’ve always wanted to blend in with the society and live a “normal” life. There were always the challenges of being the only black person in the schools, but the thought of being the only deaf person was not something I wanted to share.

So there were certainly a few challenges along the way, you can learn about what it’s like for me to be in mainstream schools as a deaf student here or watch the video below:

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So after all that, what’s the best solution?

There isn’t any, because there are too many variables and other factors that could affect your decision.

For example, your geography could determine which school you have access to.

Your finance could determine whether you choose to go private or public school.

The level of hearing ability could decide whether it’s better to be around hearing oral students or deaf students who speaks sign languages only. So a person who is mildly deaf/hard of hearing and uses oral languages may prefer to go to mainstream school. But a profoundly deaf person who is fluent in sign languages is more comfortable at a deaf school.

Regardless of which one you go for, the most important decision is to make the decision that best suits the student who is attending the school, not the parent/guardian.

If you are the student reading this…

gather as much knowledge as possible and make a decision that makes you feel comfortable about your future. Try to talk to as much people as possible, gain insights from students who are in both schools and make an informed decision.

And if you can, don’t feel pressured into attending one or the other.

If you are the parent or guardian reading this…

…don’t make the decision that makes you feel comfortable and suits your needs (like the story in The Silent Child).

It’s not about you. It’s about your child’s comfort, education and future, rather than about yours. So try your best to think from the perspective of your child rather from your own.

Unless you disagree with me about anything on this post?

Let me know in the comment below whether you agree or not with any of my statements.

And if you have your own knowledge and experiences that you can share, I’d love to hear them below.

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