Comments on: Sign Language Sabotaged http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/02/05/sign-language-sabotaged/ hopping along the corridors of power Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:39:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: rachel anderson-smith http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/02/05/sign-language-sabotaged/#comment-104556 rachel anderson-smith Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:35:22 +0000 http://blog.greens.org.nz/?p=9328#comment-104556 Not only did the Minister of Education give assurances of support for Deaf students (albeit purposefully vague) but Assc. Minister Heather Roy said that major decisions would be dependent on the Special Education Review, which is only in the discussion stage. Try telling these students and their families, who will now need to move to Christchurch in order to get support, that this decision is not a major one. Lynne Pillay's point about the cuts being shortsighted is good, however the sooner disability ceases to be a form of insult the better.

Not only did the Minister of Education give assurances of support for Deaf students (albeit purposefully vague) but Assc. Minister Heather Roy said that major decisions would be dependent on the Special Education Review, which is only in the discussion stage.

Try telling these students and their families, who will now need to move to Christchurch in order to get support, that this decision is not a major one.

Lynne Pillay’s point about the cuts being shortsighted is good, however the sooner disability ceases to be a form of insult the better.

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]]> By: greenfly http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/02/05/sign-language-sabotaged/#comment-104408 greenfly Fri, 05 Feb 2010 03:11:10 +0000 http://blog.greens.org.nz/?p=9328#comment-104408 Katie - apologies to all academics everywhere, especially those doing educational research - shine on you crazy diamonds! Loved the image of Bill English giving Tolley a hand-up!

Katie – apologies to all academics everywhere, especially those doing educational research – shine on you crazy diamonds!

Loved the image of Bill English giving Tolley a hand-up!

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]]> By: katie http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/02/05/sign-language-sabotaged/#comment-104382 katie Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:44:37 +0000 http://blog.greens.org.nz/?p=9328#comment-104382 Eredwen, Lucy - you both make valid comments, but you fail to understand the complexity for a National Governemnt. Anne Tolley=glove puppet Bill English=hand The various layers of policy wonks, press secretaries and Ministerial advisors don't get a look in. BTW, if anyone in Wellington knows anyone at the Ministry personally, this afternoon might be a nice time to suggest 'commiseratorial drinks' after work at the Occidental or sumsuch. Knowing the lead-in time for policy development, this has either been done grudgingly by ministerial staff who have carried over from the previous government, or it's been sprung on them by a working party from within National's policy development ranks (ie: consultants), who would have done the research without Ministry staff having a clue it was going on. Yep, I'm looking at DPF's little marketing firm here, too. 'fly- you'll be getting the 'put those hands away' message, then, won't you? Not all academics doing teaching research are 'bad', either, 'fly. I've just spent a few years with some very intelligent people studying linguistics at VUW, who shared a resources room with me. They are deaf students, who have been part of the academic project to improve resources for teaching NZSL, and have refined the official dictionary of NZSL, along with Professor Janet Holmes in the School of Linguistics. I'm sure the entire floor in Von Zedlitz building is appalled.

Eredwen, Lucy -

you both make valid comments, but you fail to understand the complexity for a National Governemnt.

Anne Tolley=glove puppet
Bill English=hand

The various layers of policy wonks, press secretaries and Ministerial advisors don’t get a look in.

BTW, if anyone in Wellington knows anyone at the Ministry personally, this afternoon might be a nice time to suggest ‘commiseratorial drinks’ after work at the Occidental or sumsuch.

Knowing the lead-in time for policy development, this has either been done grudgingly by ministerial staff who have carried over from the previous government, or it’s been sprung on them by a working party from within National’s policy development ranks (ie: consultants), who would have done the research without Ministry staff having a clue it was going on. Yep, I’m looking at DPF’s little marketing firm here, too.

‘fly-
you’ll be getting the ‘put those hands away’ message, then, won’t you?

Not all academics doing teaching research are ‘bad’, either, ‘fly.
I’ve just spent a few years with some very intelligent people studying linguistics at VUW, who shared a resources room with me.
They are deaf students, who have been part of the academic project to improve resources for teaching NZSL, and have refined the official dictionary of NZSL, along with Professor Janet Holmes in the School of Linguistics. I’m sure the entire floor in Von Zedlitz building is appalled.

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]]> By: eredwen http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/02/05/sign-language-sabotaged/#comment-104367 eredwen Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:06:35 +0000 http://blog.greens.org.nz/?p=9328#comment-104367 LucyJH ... "From a purely political perspective – I just can’t understand why Tolley does this kind of thing?" Surely she doesn't make these decisions alone? They would have to be discussed with others in Cabinet (and in Dept of Education). I suspect that a small bunch of blokes make the bullets, and in the Education arena Tolley gets the job of firing them. (Meanwhile the blokes duck for cover when appropriate.)
LucyJH … “From a purely political perspective – I just can’t understand why Tolley does this kind of thing?”

Surely she doesn’t make these decisions alone? They would have to be discussed with others in Cabinet (and in Dept of Education).

I suspect that a small bunch of blokes make the bullets, and in the Education arena Tolley gets the job of firing them. (Meanwhile the blokes duck for cover when appropriate.)

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]]> By: greenfly http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/02/05/sign-language-sabotaged/#comment-104248 greenfly Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:51:30 +0000 http://blog.greens.org.nz/?p=9328#comment-104248 I'm signing my response to National right now. My fingers are all twisty and rampant. It's frightening the children.
I’m signing my response to National right now.
My fingers are all twisty and rampant.
It’s frightening the children.

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]]> By: LucyJH http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/02/05/sign-language-sabotaged/#comment-104247 LucyJH Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:49:32 +0000 http://blog.greens.org.nz/?p=9328#comment-104247 Putting aside whether it's the right or wrong decision (and it seems pretty jolly wrong to deny deaf children the right to learn sign language). From a purely political perspective - I just can't understand why Tolley does this kind of thing? Didn't she learn from the cuts last year to those grants for disabled children studying at schools. Doesn't she realize that when people see disabled children and their exhausted parents weeping on TV then public sympathy is going to be on their side?
Putting aside whether it’s the right or wrong decision (and it seems pretty jolly wrong to deny deaf children the right to learn sign language).

From a purely political perspective – I just can’t understand why Tolley does this kind of thing? Didn’t she learn from the cuts last year to those grants for disabled children studying at schools. Doesn’t she realize that when people see disabled children and their exhausted parents weeping on TV then public sympathy is going to be on their side?

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]]> By: toad http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/02/05/sign-language-sabotaged/#comment-104237 toad Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:51:21 +0000 http://blog.greens.org.nz/?p=9328#comment-104237 It hasn't been a good week for Tolly, has it Catherine. The debacle over National Standards, <a href="http://www.3news.co.nz/School-with-no-pupils-forced-to-remain-open/tabid/423/articleID/140024/Default.aspx" rel="nofollow">getting Tomahawked</a>, and now this. I guess Tolley's refusal to front the cameras over the Tomahawk Primary non-closure and her abysmal media performance over National Standards must have been why they decided to get Heather Roy to front this one.

It hasn’t been a good week for Tolly, has it Catherine. The debacle over National Standards, getting Tomahawked, and now this.

I guess Tolley’s refusal to front the cameras over the Tomahawk Primary non-closure and her abysmal media performance over National Standards must have been why they decided to get Heather Roy to front this one.

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