Historical and current trends, practices, and perspectives regarding manual communication in educating deaf children are discussed, including Manually Coded English systems and American Sign Language. Issues concerning choice of sign language/systems and instructional strategies that support sign usage (such as Total Communication, Simultaneous…

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…

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'…