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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Deaf children

76 replies

FrameyMcFrame · 10/01/2014 16:14

Probably being VU but I'd like to understand why.

My DS's school has a high proportion of deaf children, it's a specialist centre.
The rules are that no parents can drive on to the site in the morning or evening even though there is a large parking area but the parents of the deaf children are allowed to drive in and out with impunity.
This means that there is LOTS of traffic on the school grounds, and in my opinion it's dangerous for ALL the kids in the school because of the way the carpark and yard and paths are arranged, I keep seeing nearly accidents and can't help thinking it won't be long before there is one.

So AIBU to think that the deaf children and parents should walk on to the school grounds like everyone else as they don't have mobility problems?

OP posts:

enderwoman · 10/01/2014 17:14

Our old school had a special needs unit and there was a car park for the parents whose children attended the unit. The area was gated so no chance of pedestrians and traffic meeting. Yanbu expecting the traffic and pedestrian areas to be separated.

onwardsandsidewards · 10/01/2014 17:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MinesAPintOfTea · 10/01/2014 17:29

In a previous life I actually did a consultant assessment of a set up very like yours (special school and a general school sharing a site with parking/safety problems). If enough fuss is kicked up the lea might have to do one...

Frusso · 10/01/2014 17:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

FrameyMcFrame · 10/01/2014 17:37

If there were no cars allowed how would they be in danger?
There's a drop off zone

OP posts:

livelablove · 10/01/2014 17:39

I agree it would not be unreasonable to ask for the school to improve pedestrian safety if there are a lot of people needing to drive up to the door. It is unsafe and could actually be especially dangerous if some of the deaf children do walk in or out. This is not saying people should not be allowed to drive to the door if they need to. I don't know what the school grounds are like but even if a fence needed to be moved to make a seperate gateway this could be done reasonably cheaply.

magnumicelolly · 10/01/2014 17:41

But frusso, why can't you park a little distance away and walk, holding her hand? Safe for her, and not endangering the rest of the children by filling the playground with cars!

Gileswithachainsaw · 10/01/2014 17:43

Because surely there would still be cars driving up to drop off disabled children or to allow disabled parents to take their kids to school.

Original poster

FrameyMcFrame · 10/01/2014 17:43

To walk from the drop off parking we have to cross the car park twice.

I'm sure not all of the cars coming in contain deaf children so some parents are just taking advantage.

It's dangerous for ALL the children, deaf and hearing alike.

OP posts:

SconeRhymesWithGone · 10/01/2014 17:47

Yes, "deaf and hard of hearing," but not "hearing impaired.

RobinSparkles · 10/01/2014 17:55

at people telling Op off for using "deaf children".

Deaf is fine! It gets ridiculous - hard of hearing, hearing impaired, people who can't hear as well as everybody else. Some people aren't "hard of hearing" they can't hear full stop.

maddening · 10/01/2014 18:03

If the school has this policy then they should have staff monitoring the car park, directing cars and ensuring safety.

Gileswithachainsaw · 10/01/2014 18:08

Would it be possible to stagger the entry times?

Have the deaf children arrive first so they can be dropped off and taken to class room.

I know it doesn't solve the issue (how a school can operate with such a dangerous system who knows) but the other children can at least be more aware of cars etc. They can here "stop" "wait" or a car horn.

BrigitBigKnickers · 10/01/2014 23:16

I am a ToD and a while ago asked a number of the children and deaf adults I worked with, which term they preferred- hearing impaired or deaf. All of them said 'deaf'. One of their parents (deaf)'told me they were annoyed that the PC brigade insisted that 'hearing impaired' was more acceptable saying the 'impaired' part of it has negative connotations.

Most of our pupils come to school by taxi or minibus and so would not be able to be walked into school due to lack of escorts/ staff. There is no danger to the other pupils from the extra transport as they do not need to go into the car park in order to get into school.

I would say that if pupils are having to walk into school through a car park, that would be where the danger lies and the school would need to address that.

sashh · 10/01/2014 23:40

The thing about deafness is that it mostly effects the ears.

The thing about ears is that they control balance as well as hearing so it can have an effect on mobility.

Some forms of deafness don't just affect hearing, children with Usher syndrome are born profoundly deaf, they have problems with balance and gradually lose their sight, often starting as a form of tunnel vision or night blindness. Currently children are arriving at school in the dark and many will get home after dark.

Most deaf children are educated in mainstream now, so to get to a special unit are more likely to be profoundly deaf and may well have additional needs.

You are BVU to assume deaf children don't have mobility problems.

ChineseFireball · 11/01/2014 07:38

Pedestrians and vehicles should be segregated in a workplace. Regardless of any disabilities or additional needs the children might have.

I would be avoiding any sort of conflict as a result of focussing on the children's needs specifically, and pointing the school http://www.hse.gov.uk/workplacetransport/separating.htm here

ChineseFireball · 11/01/2014 07:38

linky fail sorry linky

Parsnipcake · 11/01/2014 07:39

I am the parent if a deaf child with many other special needs. I would much rather resources and meetings were targeted at support services rather than vocabulary. The thought if a load if we'll paid people sitting in a room discussing terminology, while there are chikdren having their nappies/ in continence aids/ blah rationed makes me very twitchy.

Parsnipcake · 11/01/2014 07:40

She doesn't care what word is used as she can't hear :)

ChineseFireball · 11/01/2014 07:42

And if they say "but the children aren't at work" tell them the teachers and other staff are. And Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act deals with ensuring health and safety of people not employed by (in this case) the school.

StillSlightlyCrumpled · 11/01/2014 08:06

DS2 attends a SN unit attached to a mainstream school. He is also moderately deaf. No cars allowed in the car park apart from teachers & taxis. There is then a fenced path (as there are a lot of taxis dropping off) for parents & children to walk in to school. It seems to work well. When I do a pick up (he usually goes in a taxi) I park where all of the other parents park & walk with him back to the car.

As DS can hear something with his hearing aids he can often be like a rabbit in the headlights with the bustle of crowds, cars, school buses etc but not knowing where the noise is coming from. I would say it's the least pleasant part of his day & one of the reasons I prefer the taxi to bring him home as the escort walks them through the school straight outside where the taxis wait. Much calmer.

I also couldn't care less about deaf, impaired etc. I have used impairment when talking about DS as he has a severe speech problem too so I would say hearing & speech impairment.

Frusso · 11/01/2014 10:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BakeOLiteGirl · 11/01/2014 10:44

At my DS' infant school, the gates are open at a certain time to allow those with access issues in. The gates are then shut while the majority of school children come in. The gates are then opened again at about 9.15am to allow the cars back out.

This seems to work well. Parents and children who need to park inside the school grounds have driven in and parked by the time pedestrians walk in. Then the children are in their classes when the gates are opened again.

The same thing happens at the end of the school day.

The way people park and drop off their children outside the school is an absolute danger for all children and adults. It would be awful for children who are deaf.

dayshiftdoris · 11/01/2014 11:40

The SEN / disability is a Red Herring...

The issue is the system is dangerous...

And IMO the parking should be offered across the board to those who NEED it.

So in my son's unit - I might need it twice a year but the family of child with ASD who bolted into traffic needs it every day... It is inequality to say that having a particular condition means you need x,y or z... Every child is different

Original poster

FrameyMcFrame · 11/01/2014 15:18

Chinese Fireball, thanks that link is v useful.
Thanks for all the comments, it's helped. I didn't know that deafness could be associated with mobility problems.
Good ideas about the staggered entry times. Also cones and fences

All these ideas I will be putting in my next email.
In the meantime I'm going to walk my DS into school through the nursery play area (which the school expressly forbids) as that avoids the road and car park. If the school can't have a safe system to keep cars and pedestrians separate then I feel I've got a good argument to walk the other way until they sort it out.

OP posts:

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