While oralism allegedly shuns visual and manual access to language, I’m not sure that protesting at the AGBell Conference with posters such as AGBELL’S IDEOLOGY HINDERS DEAF KIDS, MANY DEAF CHILDREN WERE DEPRIVED IN EDUCATION BY ORAL METHOD, or AGBELL WAS A PROUD EUGENICIST, AND SO WAS ADOLF HILTER would be effective. If anything, it may validate hearing parents’ fears of their children becoming angry deaf people who isolate themselves from society (an erroneous generalization, of course).
Fortunately, parents have the authority and freedom to choose their children’s communication at home and in the classroom (via Individualized Education Plans). This leaves it up to different, and often, competing ideologies to win the support of parents of deaf children. But why compete? Perhaps there is no “wrong” way to communicate with deaf children. Baker explains, “A solution to this debate has been long coming, and may never come, as the choice in communication methods for deaf individuals largely revolves around the fundamental values held by each individual.”
The people who intend to protest at the AGBell Conference will dig a deeper hole for pro-ASL supporters if they throw mud rather than take the higher road.
Wow! You’ve blown me away. Very nicely written post. Something for me to chew on for tonight. Thanks!
Many of you miss the point that in America its a basic notion that freedom reigns.
For example…
Hilary Franklin can get whatever devices implanted in her and we should leave her be as she rants about her beliefs. Charles Katz can get whatever ranting out of his system and we leave him be.
The principles of freedom in America will always prevail. I cherish ASL, which is my first language but I’m saving my breath by not interfering with AGBAD’s own rights at a mere existence. I wonder why AGBAD didn’t picket at NAD conference? Is this one way for oralists to exhibit their civilized tendencies.
Yeah, many, but not all, oralist backgrounds has at least middle or upper-middle class wealth, civility and possessing a tendency to avoid barbaric stuff including Deaf culture (as many saw it but many won’t admit it.) I saw lots back-stabbing.
I’m also tired of arrogant attitudes on part of Cued Speech, Cued English, Cued Whatever users. Out of all cued users it’s an extreme rarity (percentage-wise) that can co-exist wiht ASL users *without* engaging in back-stabbing.
After decades, I’m still waiting for statistics on whether this works on inner-city pupils, racial minorities and those from poor places. I know many failures were put under the rug. When I attended a school in the Montgomery County Public Schools (Md.), I knew almost all cued speech, cued English, cued whatever users came from very comfortable situations which simply encourages intellectual pursuits. This happens regardless of type of language acquisition. Cued users only can argue that cued is a viable option. That’s it.
As for the AGBAD convention, conference whatever. I think that the picket needs to be about a desire to enter into dialogue, not anything else. Those Barbara DiGiovanni will eventually have to learn how to deal with it.
We might be like Apple Macintoshes, despite about 10% market share, know its better than Microsoft Windows but we have to deal with the realities that anything but ASL comprises about 90% of the deaf/hh population. This is why oralists, cued speech and other proponents have the upper hand, slick propaganda and money.
Some of you need to stop being so naive about this!
Be Deaf but not DUMB!