Deafness

REASONS FOR THE POPULARITY OF SIGNING

 

= GREATER PUBLIC AWARENESS

14 million hearing impaired; 2 million deaf; one-half million ASL users (ASL is 4th most used language in US); 84,000 deaf students in schools

= GOVERNMENT LAWS AND REGULATIONS

Rehabilitation Act of 1973; PL 94-142 (Education of All Handicapped Children) Act of 1975; Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991

= CHANGE IN EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

ASL is a language!; Learning signing does not impede speech acquisition; Failure of oralism

= USE OF SIGNING WITH POPULATIONS OTHER THAN DEAF

Mentally retarded, autistic and brain-injured populations

 

Development of Sign Languages

 

= French Sign Language (FSL)

Developed circa 1760 by Abbe Micheal de l'Apee; Natural and systematic signs; Institute for deaf-mutes (1755)

= American Sign Language (ASL)

Came into existence circa 1817 due to the efforts of Thomas Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc; Local, French and invented signs; American Asylum for the Deaf in Hartford, CT (1817)

= Manual Alphabet and Finger Spelling

Dates back to at least 12th century AD; Vows of silence by monks; Property rights in Spain

 

THE SIGN LANGUAGE TREE

 

    British, Japanese, Indian, etc. sign languages have independent origin. Various sign languages are not mutually intelligible. The World Federation of the Deaf created a "universal sign language" called Gestuno in 1960's that draws its 1,500 signs from various European sign languages and from ASL.

 

Manualism/Oralism Controversy

 

    At the time Abbe de l'Epee was using FSL to educate deaf in France, educators in England were exclusively using "oral methods" to teach deaf.

    Ever since, there has been a controversy about the "best" method for educating the deaf.

    In US, Thomas Gallaudet championed the use of signing to educate deaf. Alexandar G. Bell, a contemporary of Gallaudet, advocated oralism.

    The Gallaudet University in Washington DC and the National Association of the Deaf are in favor of use of manual communication with and among deaf.

    The Alexandar Graham Bell Association for the Deaf, among other organizations, favors use of speech with and among deaf.

 

Education of the Deaf in the US

 

    Until the early part of 19th century, there had been no systematic attempts to educate deaf in the US. 

    Wealthy Americans sent their deaf children to England for education.

    The American School for the Deaf (1817) in Hartford, CT is an example of a school in the US using manual approaches to the education of deaf.

    The Clark School for the Deaf (1867), Northhamptom, MS is an example of a school that uses oral methods to educate deaf.

    All states have one or more state-sponsored special schools for deaf that use an eclectic approach to the education of deaf.

    The Gallaudet University founded in 1849 by Edward Gallaudet is the only liberal arts college for deaf in the world.

National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, NY is an engineering school for the deaf.

Many colleges now have support services for deaf including notetaking, tutoring, assistive listening devices, interpreting and counseling.

 

Methods of Educating the Deaf

 

    AURAL METHOD: Use of the sense of hearing in the deaf by means of amplification of sound. The natural way of learning to speak and, if successful, results in natural-sounding speech.

    AURAL-ORAL METHOD: Amplification of sound and speech reading are employed for communication and education. Cued speech is an addition to speech reading.

    THE ROCHESTER METHOD: Amplification of sound, speech reading and finger spelling are used.

    SIMULTANEOUS METHOD: In addition to amplification, speech reading and finger spelling, signing is also emphasized. Total communication employs all available means of communication - e. g. pictures, pantomime, reading, writing, etc.

    MAINSTREAMING: Deaf children learn along side hearing children in regular schools instead of being segregated in special schools.

 

 Signing in America

    AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE (ASL): "Mother tongue" for 500,000 people; An independent language with its own grammar, vocabulary and style of communication.

    MANUALLY CODED ENGLISH: Communication using ASL and invented signs employing English word order and suffixes. Varieties include Signed English (SE), SEE1, SEE2, and Linguistics of Visual English (LOVE).

    SIGNED PIDGIN ENGLISH: Used by many deaf as well as hearing people to communicate with deaf. This is sometimes referred to as conceptually accurate signing. A pidgin language is a simplified form of a language used for communication by two peoples who speak different languages. It is a language of contact. Creole

is a pidgin language that has evolved into a primary language for a people.

 

      Last night we went partying with some friends (English and Manually Coded English)

      Last night we party with friends (Signed Pidgin English)

      Last night finish we party friend friend (ASL)

 

DEAF CULTURE

 

    DEAF CULTURE: The sum total of ways of living built up by deaf people and passed on from generation to generation.

    Telecommunication device for the deaf (TDD); Teletype machine (TTY)

    Closed captioning of TV broadcast

    Schools for the deaf (Where are you from? usually means Which deaf school did you go to?)

    Name sign

    Deaf clubs - Bowling, dances and other activities

    Calling attention - Flashing light, tapping on arm or shoulder; Clapping is not acceptable.

    Assistive listening and other (e. g. alarm) devices

    Audiologically deaf; Culturally deaf; Bilinguilism; Biculturalism

    Endogomous marriages (both spouses are hearing impaired) is very common, estimated at 90 percent in culturally deaf people.

 

CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS OF DEAF

 

    Deaf culture belongs those who are culturally deaf (whether or not audiologically deaf) and who use ASL and/or PSE. Deaf identity is important.

    SPORTS: The International Games for the Deaf (1924); American Athletic Association of the Deaf (1947)

    ASL LITERATURE: Oratory (formal speaking); Folklore (puns, games, jokes, storytelling, etc.)

    ARTS: National Theatre of the Deaf (1966); Deaf Artists, Inc. (1985); Spectrum: Focus on Deaf Artists (1975); Videos.

    ADVOCACY: World Federation of the Deaf (1951); National Association of the Deaf (1880).

    RELIGIOUS: Episcopal Conference of the Deaf (1881); National Congress of Jewish Deaf (1956).

    PROFESSIONAL: American Professional Society of the Deaf (1966); National Fraternal Society of the Deaf (1901).

 

Assistive Listening Devices

    An assistive listening device can increase the loudness of a desired sound (a radio or television, a public speaker, an actor or actress, someone talking in a noisy place) without increasing the loudness of the background noises. Different types of assistive listening devices include:

    PERSONAL LISTENING DEVICES: Some of these devices, such as auditory trainers, are used in classroom or small group use. Others, such as personal FM devices and personal amplifiers, are helpful for one-to-one conversations (e. g, in a car or restaurant).

    TV LISTENING DEVICES: are designed for listening to TV, radio, or stereo without interference from surrounding noise and can be with or without hearing aids.

    DIRECT AUDIO INPUT HEARING AIDS: are hearing aids with audio input connections which can be connected to TV, stereo, tape, and radio as well as to microphones, auditory trainers, personal FM systems and other assistive devices.

    TELEPHONE AMPLIFYING DEVICES: Many, but not all, standard telephone receivers come with an amplifying coil, which directly delivers sound to hearing aids set to "T".

    AUDITORIUM TYPE ASSISTIVE LISTENING DEVICES: Many major auditoriums and churches, and other public places are equipped with sound systems for people with hearing loss. They consist of a transmitting system which uses one of a variety of method to send sound signals to an individual receiver and may be used with or without a hearing aid.

 

Myths and Misconceptions About Deaf

Classification of Hearing Loss

 

    CONDUCTIVE LOSS: A hearing loss due to a disease or defect in the outer or middle ear. A problem of acuity that ranges from mild to moderate in the low to mid frequency region and correctable and helped by amplification

    SENSORI-NEURAL LOSS: A hearing loss due to a disease or defect in the inner ear or the auditory nerve. A problem of acuity and discrimination that ranges from mild to profound, mostly in the mid to high frequency region and not correctable and only partly helped by amplification.

    CONGENITAL LOSS: A hearing loss present at birth, frequently but not always of a genetic origin. ADVENTITIOUS LOSS is incurred sometime during the life span of an individual. Presbycusis is a prime example.

    PRELINGUAL LOSS: Hearing loss suffered prior to acquiring speech in contrast to POSTLINGUAL HEARING LOSS.

    AUDIOLOGICALLY DEAF: A deaf person brought up in the oral tradition; their identity is with hearing people. CULTURALLY DEAF are hearing people who are brought up in the deaf culture; they "think" like deaf people.

 

DEGREES OF HEARING LOSS:

 

                                                0 - 19 Decibels Normal hearing

                                               20 - 44 Decibels Mild loss

                                                45 - 69 Decibels Moderate loss

                                                70 - 89 Decibels Severe loss

                                                90 -110 Decibels Profound loss 

 

    HARD OF HEARING: Those who can use the sense of hearing for everyday communication with or without amplification. Hearing loss ranges from mild to severe.

    DEAF: Those who cannot use the sense of hearing even with amplification for everyday communication. Hearing loss is classified as profound.

 

DEAF DEMOGRAPHICS

 

    Hearing impairment is the most common chronic physical impairment in the U.S.

    About 25% of hearing impaired incur their hearing loss prevocationally (before age 19).

    About 11% of hearing impaired incurr their hearing loss prelingually (before age 3).

    Causes of hearing impairment include illnesses such as measles, meningitis, etc. (41%), congenital (19%), unknown (17%), injury (8%), heredity (8%), other, e.g., prematurity (7%).

    Approximately 55% of all childhood hearing impairment is congenital, a major proportion of which is hereditary.

    92% of hearing impaired children have hearing parents. Less than 4% of hearing impaired children have two hearing impaired parents.

 

How to Communicate With the Deaf

   

    Speak clearly; do not mumble.

    Speak at a normal loudness level; shouting is not only annoying but makes speech less intelligible.

    Face the listener.

    Do not cover your face with hands, hats, mustache, beard, etc.

    Talk slightly slower than normal.

    Speak in short, direct sentences.

    Do not exaggerate.

 

Manually Coded English

SEEING ESSENTIAL ENGLISH (SEE1)

 

    Invented by David Anthony in 1966; Vocabulary (5,000 signs) made up of some ASL and many invented signs; Two out of three principle (sound, meaning and spelling); 100 affixes. Not currently used SIGNING EXACT ENGLISH (SEE2)

    Invented by Gerilee Gustason and her co-workers; 1,700 mostly ASL and some invented signs; Invented pronouns; 70 affixes; Morphologic principle same as SEE1. Still popular in California LINGUISTICS OF VISUAL ENGLISH (LOVE)

    Incorporates English speech rhythm - one movement for each English syllable; Otherwise similar to SEE2; Not currently used.

    SIGNED ENGLISH (SE) Developed by Harry Bernstein and his co-workers; One meaning, one sign

principle; 3,000 mostly ASL and many initialized signs; 14 affixes. Popular in many parts of the country.

 

Basic Tenets of MCE

    1.  Acquiring good English is difficult for a deaf child.

    2.  Acquisition of English involves knowledge of lexicon-, syntax, and morphology.

    3.  Normal input must precede normal output.

    4.  Speech reading is ambiguous and difficult and does not provide sufficient input.

    5.  Sign language is easier to see than speech reading or finger spelling.

    6.  Knowledge of English structure is more important than ability to spell words.

    7.  The structure of English may be easily represented in sign language.

    8.  It is easier to sign all parts of a sentence than sign some parts and fingerspell others.

    9.  Any specific sign must mean one and only one thing.

  10.  English should be signed as it is spoken, including idioms.

 

Features of ASL

    Signing takes roughly twice as much time as speaking; the information transmitted per unit time is about the same in both.

    ASL uses no articles; infrequently uses prepositions and conjunctions.It does not use auxiliary verbs such as "do" and the the verb "to be." Uses "incorporation" (agglutination) to systematically modify or add meaning to

existing signs. It does not use past tense suffixes; time frame is specified at the beginning of a discourse or by the "finish" sign.

    Plurality is indicated by number or by reduplication of a sign.

    Space assignment and directionality are used instead of pronominal reference.

    Adjectives generally follow nouns.

    Passive sentences are not permitted in ASL.

    Progressive tense is indicated with reduplication of verbs.

 

Examples of ASL Sentence Structure

      Do you use a hearing aid?                                Hearing aid use you?

      You sign fast                                                   Sign fast you

      Would you write please                                   Write please

      Have you ever been to Japan                           Touch finish Japan you?

      Many boys and girls are born deaf                    Boy girl many born deaf

      I was walking slowly                                        Past I walk (Sign "walk " slowly)

      The girl told boy she loves him                         (Past) girl she tell boy she love him

      What kind of work do you do?                        Work major (Sign with "what shrug")

      You have a cute baby                                       baby sweet

      One week ago I saw my mother                       one week ago see mother finish

      I have to go shopping                                       go shop must

 

Officers | Chapters | Members | Cultural | Deafness | Schools | Historical Facts | Calendar of Events

News of Interest | Local News | National News | Education

Return to Home Page