Educational Sciences
Michael A. Schwartz, Brent C. Elder,
Monu Chhetri, and Zenna Preli

This scholarly report calls for U.S. educational policy shifts to accommodate the unique educational needs of Deaf New Americans. Current policies only cover children aged 3 to 21, and the Americans with Disabilities Act’s provision of sign language interpreters in educational settings is insufficient for their success. The compounding effects of an inadequate Deaf education system in their home country and America’s failure to provide effective and accessible instruction make it nearly impossible for them to find gainful employment or independence.

Suppose vocational rehabilitation providers and policymakers do not recognize the significance of tailored language and literacy access for Deaf New Americans. In that case, vocational rehabilitation may actually stunt this population’s potential by subjecting them to low-wage jobs for the rest of their lives. However, with the creation of new policies and Deaf-led educational programming, Deaf New Americans will be able to reach their potential and contribute to U.S. society in an even greater way.

Citation:
Schwartz, Michael A., Brent C. Elder, Monu Chhetri, and Zenna Preli. 2022. "Falling through the Cracks: Deaf New Americans and Their Unsupported Educational Needs" Education Sciences 12, no. 1: 35. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12010035

American Annals of the Deaf

Sharon J. Becker and Sandy K. Bowen

A 2007 survey of teachers of students who are DHH found that educating students who were DHH EL “was one of the top issues facing these teachers.” This original research study interviewed eight service providers to examine the education process for students who are both Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) and an English Learner (EL). This intersectional population faces several challenges due to its unique and diverse range of communication, academic, and cultural needs.

The authors identified gaps in language assessments and a lack of specialized training for educators of DHH ELs. It seems that developing individual learning plans to account for “influencers of diversity” with built-in pre-teaching is highly effective for DHH EL students. This same approach could be replicated with VR counselors when determining the needs, priorities, and goals of their Deaf New American clients.

Citation:
Becker, Sharon J., and Sandy K. Bowen. “Service Providers’ Perspective on the Education of Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and English Learners.” American Annals of the Deaf 163, no. 3: 356–73. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26484302.

A Nicole Kreisberg, Els de Graauw, and Shannon Gleeson

This original research study contains interviews with 61 refugee resettlement experts to identify inequalities in the U.S. refugee resettlement process regarding employment declines. The authors conclude that the federal refugee resettlement process contains several structural weaknesses. These shortcomings are related to reduced federal program funding, prioritization of rapid job placement above stable and gainful employment, and a lack of collaboration among refugee-serving organizations.

This article would be helpful for VR counselors to gain perspective on the importance of sustainable employment over “quick and easy” employment placements for Deaf New Americans especially. For this population to achieve independence and pride in their work, more time is required to understand their cultural backgrounds, linguistic needs, and skills, and where investment in upskilling is desired or required.

Citation:
Kreisberg, A Nicole and Els de Graauw, Shannon Gleeson. 2022. “Explaining Refugee Employment Declines: Structural Shortcomings in Federal Resettlement Support” Social Problems, spab080. https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spab080

Jo Napolitano

Khadidja Issa is a refugee from Sudan who hoped to pursue her dreams of becoming a nurse. This book examines Issa v. School District of Lancaster, which hinged on the district not admitting older, English Learner (EL) refugees, but instead sending them to an alternative school for students with disciplinary issues. This happened right before Donald Trump’s presidency began and set a precedent for “equal access to education for countless immigrants and refugees to come.”

This is a beneficial read for VR counselors with Deaf New American clients because they may not be aware of how to advocate for their children’s education, or aware of the options available for them to pursue their own education. Deaf New Americans need to know their rights and have informed VR allies by their side. This could be a helpful reference for a new policy that ultimately impacts adult Deaf New American students nationwide.

Citation:
Napolitano, Jo. 2022. The School I Deserve: Six Young Refugees and Their Fight for Equality in America. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

Alexander Betts and Paul Collier

This book’s authors open by recognizing that our world’s refugee system is failing and brainstorm ideas for how to improve it. Their suggestions include: restoring refugee autonomy through meaningful education and jobs, developing sustainable “safe havens” within countries that host most of the world’s refugees, reframing refugee needs through a development approach and not just a humanitarian lens, and including business and nonprofit leaders in government-supported resettlement programs.

This is a beneficial read for VR counselors with Deaf New American clients because their cases should be viewed as more than boxes to be checked or quotas to be met. Job placement and literacy education may seem like insignificant decisions for one refugee at a time. However, this is what it will take to overhaul the existing refugee and economic system alike.

Citation:
Betts, Alexander, and Paul Collier. 2017. Refuge: Rethinking Refugee Policy in a Changing World. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Dina Nayeri

There are over 25 million refugees in the world. Each one has unimaginable journeys to bear and yet there is an expectation that they should be “forever grateful for” the space they have been allowed. Author Dina Nayeri fled Iran as a child. In this book, she gathered narratives from several other refugees and a translator to illustrate the refugee resettlement experience. She highlights the harmful trend of Western governments privileging “certain dangers over others.”

This is a humbling read for VR counselors with Deaf New American clients, especially when those clients “push back on” or seem ungrateful for grocery bagging, custodial, or cart pushing job offers. This Deaf New American mindset tends to be geared toward a longer and harder road toward more gratifying and supportive employment opportunities. However, they often need the right English and ASL literacy education and allyship to achieve this. This employment dreaming and planning is typically subject to the guidance of VR counselors. It’s time to think outside the box, dream big with your clients, and imagine the success stories they could tell.

Citation:
Nayeri, Dina. 2019. The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You. New York, NY: Catapult.

Societies
Nina Sivunen

This article is an original ethnographic study about Deaf asylum seekers’ journeys in Finland. After observing daily life in reception centers and conducting several interviews with Deaf asylum seekers, the author concludes several steps can be taken to improve their experience. Placing Deaf asylum seekers at one reception center could reduce their reported feelings of isolation and loneliness, allow for more efficient sign language training, provide greater access to Deaf volunteers and facilitate easier interpreter access.

This article provides valuable Deaf perspectives and actionable suggestions within a Finnish context that could be easily replicated in America. For example, refugees with a disability “rarely have access to opportunities to learn the language of their host countries even though knowing the language of the host country would help them to participate in society” (Sivunen 2019, 2). VR counselors have the leverage and resources to fund American Sign Language and English courses for Deaf New Americans, which would allow them to meaningfully contribute to our society. There is also a lack of Deaf caseworkers and advocates in the refugee resettlement process, so VR counselors might consider job placements in this sector for Deaf New American clients after they become more established in the U.S.

Citation:
Sivunen, Nina. 2019. "An Ethnographic Study of Deaf Refugees Seeking Asylum in Finland" Societies 9, no. 1: 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc9010002

Disability & Society
Steven David Emery and Sanchayeeta Iyer

This article is based on an empirical research study of deaf migration, more specifically focused on the lives of two Black Deaf African migrants in London with an intersectional lens. The authors encourage readers to not simply “add” migration “as an identity/experience of the lives of a community of deaf peoples but to examine and explore the interlocking relations of power that they experience.” They discovered that Deaf migrants experience both racism and discrimination from some Deaf and hearing individuals, but solidarity and support from others.

VR counselors can read this article to understand the multifaceted nature of Deaf New American identities in light of their migration journeys. This is a rare form of study because research about Deaf migrants is so limited. Perhaps this study could spark a coalition of VR counselors with Deaf New American clients to advocate in solidarity with them for comprehensive policy shifts at a federal level.

Citation:
Emery, Steven David and Sanchayeeta Iyer. 2022. “Deaf Migration Through an Intersectionality Lens” Disability & Society 37, no. 1, 89-110.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2021.1916890.