Date: July 10, 2006
Name: Christina M. Poe
The pros and cons of three
main communication methods for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students
Over the years
there have been many debates and studies done on how to communicate
and educate the Deaf and Hard-of-hearing child. At first, people
believed that Deaf children were [incapable of learning] and so didn’t bother trying to
communicate or educate them. But, over the years it was proved that
Deaf children were [capable] and could learn to communicate and wanted
to communicate, just like other people. Today, the issue has
become; what is the best way to try and educate and communicate the
Deaf? There are three main methods that have been developed and are
used in the United States, they include; the Oral method (oralism),
the Manual method (manualism), and Total Communication. Each of
these methods had various pros and cons; all should be carefully
examined by the parents of a deaf child. The ultimate method for
communication should be chosen based on how the child can be
empowered and function in society, sadly hearing people don’t always
consider what is best for the Deaf.
The Oral method is
a method for communication and educating deaf and Hard-of-hearing
children using only the spoken language, lip reading, and voice
training. The goal of this method is for Deaf child to be able to
overcome their deafness and learn how to speak and “hear” (whether
hearing is from a hearing aid or lip reading or both). Training
begins at an early age and begins with children learning to match
pictures and objects with a word that is spoken and shown on a
printed card.
This method works well for
children who have only mild – moderate hearing loss. The
explanation for this is that they usually can learn to hear with a
hearing aid and it is easier for them to learn how to use the
voice. Also, this method works very well for children who for some
reason loose their hearing later in their childhood, after they have
learned to speak and have heard sounds. Older children are more
likely to be able to redevelop the language skills they had before
they lost their hearing and so this method can work very suitably.
The Oral method is strongly advised by hearing people who don’t want
children to have to rely on Sign language and/or interpreters to
communicate with others. Also, some supporters of the Oral method
feel that if a child is allowed to use Sign language that they will
stop trying to learn to lip read and speak. It is understandable
that hearing parents of Deaf children would consider this method the
best for communicating and teaching their child, but there are
several cons to this method of communicating/educating.
Children who have moderate –
severe hearing loss or are what is known as profoundly deaf tend to
struggle with using the Oral method. Since the Oral method is based
on only using spoken language, children who have severe hearing
loss, might not be able to “hear” even with a hearing aid. Also, it
will take a lot of patience, work, training, and time before a child
will be able to lip read well enough to understand conversations and
even then they might not have developed their vocal skills to be
able to be understood. Thomas Spradley in his book “Deaf Like Me”
puts the struggles into perspective; “We desperately needed to talk
to Lynn in words she could understand. To have her communicate in
words we could understand. The common routines of dressing, taking
a bath, cleaning up her room, taking turns in children’s games, and
a hundred others, were daily struggles to try and communicate with
Lynn.” (Pg. 209) These thoughts were thoughts that Spradley and his
wife had when, Lynn was already five years old, she could only lip
read about three hundred words and speak maybe about three words
that were barely understandable.
The Manual method or manualism
is based totally on Sign language and using the hands or physical
ways to communicate. The goal of this method is to provide a way
for Deaf people to interact with others without the use of spoken
language. Children taught using this method don’t need to
worry about learning to speak or develop lip reading skills. This
method is considered the natural way that deaf children learn to
communicate. Furthermore, it encourages a sense of pride in being
Deaf.
If a child is moderately –
severely deaf the Manual method will probably be the easiest way for
the child to learn and communicate. Children who are deaf use their
vision to compensate for their lack of hearing, thus making Sign
language an easy, visual way to understand and communicate with
others. Manualism puts no pressure on a child to struggle to
understand sounds and how to forms words. The Deaf community uses
the Manual method a lot and as a result, provides a sense of
belonging, inclusion, plus a feeling of being normal and not being weird
just because of not being able to hear.
However, the Manual method
does have some severe limitations. For example, a child taught with
this method will never be able to participate in a conversation with
a hearing person, without the aid of an interpreter. The Manual
method tends to exclude hearing people from the Deaf world, and the
only way to communicate is either by writing things down on paper or
by knowing Sign language. Hearing parents with Deaf children may
also find this method of communication frustrating, since they will
have to learn Sign language in order to communicate with their
child. The Manual method is a very useful way to educate and
communicate with Deaf and Hard-of-hearing children, but many people
feel it’s not the best way.
Total Communication is a
fairly new method for educating and communicating with Deaf and
Hard-of-hearing children. The goal of this method is to incorporate
lip-reading, speech, and Sign language so that a child can
communicate effectively in almost any setting. Children taught
using this method are given an opportunity to develop their voice as
much as possible, as well as allowed to use the more natural,
manual/visual way of communicating. The results are amazing, since
children are taught how to interact in both the hearing and the Deaf
world.
Total Communication works well
to educate Deaf and Hard-of-hearing children, since it doesn’t
matter if a child has a mild hearing loss or is profoundly
deaf. This method works with the child, the parents, and the
educators, so that everyone can learn and communicate to the best of
their ability. Children are allowed to be themselves and learn in a
way that suits their needs. Total Communication includes everyone
--
the hearing world and the Deaf world.
So, what is the best way to
try and educate and communicate the Deaf? The three main methods;
the Oral method (oralism), the Manual method (manualism), and Total
Communication have all been briefly described. The ultimate method
for communication should be chosen based on how the child can be
empowered and function in society.
Bibliography
Meadow – Orlans, Kathryn P.,
Mertens, Donna M., & Sass – Lehrer Marilyn. (2003) Parents and
their Deaf Children,
Washington D.C.; Gallaudet University Press.
Munoz-Baell, Irma M. & Ruiz,
Teresa M. (2000) Empowering the deaf; let the deaf be deaf.
Journal Epidemiol Community
Health, 54:1, 40 – 44.
Knight, Pamela & Swanwick,
Ruth. (1999) The Care and Education of a Deaf Child, Great
Britan: Multilingual Matters
LTD.
Oliva, Gina A. (2004)
Alone
in the Mainstream, Washington D.C.; Gallaudet University Press.
Spradley, Thomas S. & Spradley,
James P. (1987) Deaf Like Me. Washington D.C.; Gallaudet
University Press.
Stinson, Michael S. (1999).
Considerations in educating deaf and hard-of-hearing students in
inclusive settings. Journal
of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. 4:3, 163 – 173.