SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS TO SAVE THE HAWAI'I SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF AND THE BLIND!

In 2011, the Hawai'i Department of Education (HDOE) appointed two hearing people as Principal and Vice Principal of the Hawai'i School for the Deaf and the Blind (HSDB). These two people had no knowledge or experience in Deaf Education, no knowledge of ASL, and no knowledge of HSDB's Bilingual-Bicultural philosophy. They communicated with teachers, staff and students who were Deaf through interpreters. For five years HSDB was a school in chaos. The school culture was so terrible that HDOE finally decided it was time for a change. In 2016, Complex Area Superintendent (CAS) Donna Lum-Kagawa, with the involvement of the Deaf community, recommended to the state Superintendent that Dr. Angel Ramos become HSDB's Principal.

Dr. Ramos, a Deaf individual fluent in ASL with over 40 years experience in the field of Deaf Education, including 13 years as a Superintendent/Principal, immediately began to turn the school around. For the next 3 years, HSDB grew, developed and expanded. It’s student enrollment increased. The dorms were opened to Oahu students again, it’s ASL Program blossomed. For the first time ever, HSDB even grew a Computer Science/ Robotics program. Probably one of the most significant events in 3 years took place on July 1, 2019, when the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, gave HSDB a Six-Year Accreditation Status. HSDB is now one of the few schools for Deaf and hard of hearing students in the U.S. with NATIONAL accreditation! Dr. Ramos did not make all these wonderful things happen by himself - he entitled and lead his staff to make them happen. In many ways, the past 3 years have been one of HSDB's brightest periods in its history.

On August 1, 2019, just one month after HSDB had received national accreditation, the new CAS who oversees HSDB, Rochelle Mahoe, replaced Dr. Ramos as HSDB Principal. Once again, a hearing person with no knowledge or experience in Deaf Education, no knowledge of ASL, and no knowledge of HSDB's Bilingual-Bicultural philosophy was appointed interim Principal of HSDB. CAS Mahoe made this decision by herself - she never got feedback about Dr. Ramos from HSDB teachers, staff, students, parents or the Deaf community. We say ENOUGH! The days of not including Deaf people in decisions that affect our community, including our Deaf school, are over. From now on, nothing about us without us! 

Please sign this petition to support HSDB's SOAR (Save Our Angel Ramos) and return Dr. Angel Ramos to HSDB where he belongs. The brightest years in HSDB's history needs to continue - not end!

For more information,

WEBSITE: https://www.hsdbsoar.org 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/HSDBsoarNOW/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/hsdbsoar

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/hsdbsoar/

From James Charlton, author of Nothing About Us Without Us: "The lived oppression that people with disabilities have experienced and continue to experience is a human rights tragedy of epic proportions. Only in the last few decades has this begun to be recognized and resisted. Today, in fact, we are witnessing a profound sea change among people with disabilities. For the first time, a movement of people with disabilities has emerged in every region of the world which is demanding recognition of their human rights and their central role in determining those rights."

From Ed Roberts, Founder and President of World Institute on Disability: "When people with disabilities come to the conclusion that they have the right to be in the community, to have a say in how that community treats them, they are beginning to develop a consciousness about taking control of their lives and resisting all attempts to give others that control."