This article argues that poetry written by nineteenth-century British and American deaf poets played an important role in the period's sign language debates. By placing the publication of this poetry in the context of public exhibitions of deaf students, I suggest that the poetry was mobilized to publicly defend the linguistic and intellectual…

George Veditz's "The Preservation of the Sign Language" was a popular film about the deaf language. Sixty five years later, in 1977, Veditz's film was retrieved and screened at the opening of a conference on the research and teaching of American Sign Language. Despite the age and the condition of the film, the screening held the audience…

R. Conrad's position that the use of forms of manual communication in the education of deaf students is highly effective and desirable is supported; however, a reinterpretation of his work is offered to provide a more solid theoretical base and to indicate judicious and appropriate strategies in educational practice. (Author/SW)

Discusses the implications of deafness for cognition and describes communicative systems (the oral method and sign language) for the deaf. Holds that parents of deaf children should teach them both signing and speaking. (GC)

Profiles Francis Green, father of a child with deafness, who became, in the late 18th century, the first American to publish an account of deaf education and to insist on the education of all children with deafness. Green's relationship with his son, perspectives on sign language and speech, and advocacy for schools for the deaf are recounted. (CR)

The nineteenth-century debate over use of the manual versus the oral approach to deaf education is discussed and related to the prevailing social and educational thought. Both approaches are seen as oppressive and antideaf. Current efforts to reconceptualize deafness have produced calls for bilingual-bicultural programs. (IAH)

A mother of a deaf child recounts her earlier commitment to an oralist position, her gradual realization that she was asking her child to do the impossible, and the child's rapid acquisition of language when allowed and encouraged to use signs. The importance of hearing parents learning sign language is stressed. (DB)

This narrative of a graduate student with deafness describes her experiences in various educational environments including oral communication, total communication, and mainstreamed. The article emphasizes the role of parents as the child's best advocates and advises parents to trust their own instincts and not accept the authority of professionals…

This paper examines the evolution of sign language's role in education, beginning with the debate over sign language versus oral communication, followed by the debate over American Sign Language (ASL) versus other sign systems. The paper points out that this debate process is hindering the educational experience for thousands of deaf children and…

Suggests how insights from Paul Bohannon's book, "How Culture Works" (1995), could be used to address such questions as, "How do deaf people learn their culture?" and "How do deaf children learn (what) culture?" Bohannon's idea of cultural dynamics is applied to deaf culture to trace how that culture evolved, how it…

This paper provides a legal update on the role of the judiciary in determining an appropriate communication method for teaching hearing-impaired students. The paper concludes that the judiciary has consistently upheld the right of educational agencies to determine educational methodologies while attempting to protect hearing-impaired individuals'…

Noting that when a deaf child is born to hearing parents, problems arise due to the language barrier, this paper discusses the kinds of disruptions hearing parents experience with the birth of a deaf child, the implications such an impairment has on development and language acquisition, and the adjustments made for such a child. Following an…

Personal experience of deafness and related sociological, educational, and psychological views are used to explore the question: How does a deaf individual develop the concept of self through social interaction and in dealing with standard English at school? Ways for deaf children in school to learn standard English are also discussed. (24…