June 21 , 2001

Reaction to California State pushed Rachel Stone out

To Louise Knott Ahern, Writer

What a saddening moment in the history of American Deaf Community about California State Education Department firing Dr. Rachel Stone. She is a very much respected and cherished leader in the Deaf communities all over the United States. She is one of several Deaf Education leaders who do understand the true needs of the Deaf children. With no question, it truly is an unmeasurable loss to CSDR!

I was the principal of a middle school for deaf for two and one-half years. I could empathize and understand Dr. Rachel Stone's struggle to implement an important concept of Bi-lingual and Bi-cultural approach to enable the Deaf children to learn and appreciate both ASL and English (primarily written). ASL is a very important instructional tool to help a Deaf child to learn
English (primarly written as well as spoken) and other subjects (e.g. Math, Science, Social Studies and more) much better. I had seen a bunch of few parents and staff members, who don't want the changes for the Deaf children's better and improving education, running to State Legislature / State Education Department as the "Uncle." It is a saddening truth that often those people in State Legislatures / State Education Departments listen to the complaints from a small bunch of people better than to the Deaf leaders and alumnus who always know better about what are best for themselves and the Deaf children. It is because they themselves are Deaf and have undergone through the Deaf education all their childhood and teenage years.

Dr. Stone's phrase of "Deaf people have been oppressed for a long time" sadly is true. We have been oppressed by the educational systems and State governments who often fail to listen to the Deaf people. They have been running our Deaf educations without much understandings of what are our education, communication, language, social, interpersonal and financial
needs.

Regardless of what happened to Dr. Rachel Stone in California, she still is a STAR to us in the United States. Bless her heart for her love for the Deaf children! We still love her as a hero!

Keith M. Cagle, M.A. in Ed Adm.
Boiling Springs, NC