Darwinian Theory Of Deaf Education

Darwinian Theory and theories like it have done much to marginalize and hold back the Deaf community. The early 20th century, also known as the Deaf Dark Ages, gave way to the idea of eugenics which goal was to reduce the number of defective or abnormal people such as the mentally and physically disabled as well as criminals. At this point, it was especially important for the Deaf community to present themselves as able bodied and capable. Two Deaf men went a long way to show this. William Hoy and Luther Taylor were two well known and loved baseball players that belonged to the Deaf community. However, despite their success the deafness was still seen as inferior. Oralism was forced upon many deaf students and the community faced much misunderstanding. …show more content…
This era brought advancements for the Deaf as well as the rest of the nation. Gallaudet University Professor, William Stokoe, published, with the help of his colleagues, the first scientific study of Sign Language. This study provided much insight into the language and had a huge impact on the social and academic views on the study of linguistics as a whole. Deaf education saw a rise in the philosophy of “Total Communication” which allowed for a renewed understanding of the needs of deaf students. In 1966, California courts pass the law that allowed deaf couples to adopt children. The Disabilities Education Act of 1970 defined the right of d/Deaf students and other to a “free and appropriate education”; however, different interpretations of this law has made it somewhat of a mixed blessing. Additionally, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 made having an interrupter mandatory instead of merely in the spirit of goodwill. Sadly, these huge strides forward do not signify the end of the Deaf community’s struggles. Today’s world is still one where it is made difficult to be …show more content…
These types are families do not always work for the children. They are less likely to develop fluent written English then d/Deaf children with d/Deaf parents. Despite a large number of hearing parent having d/Deaf children only about 10% of those families actually, learn to communicate with their children effectively. (TEDxTalk. 2013. 5:15 – 5:47). This obviously leads to many developmental and psychological issues in deaf children with hearing parents. The disconnect adds to feelings of isolation and oddness that is already felt by deaf children in the hearing world. On the contrary, deaf children born to d/Deaf parents do much better. They are able to communicate through sign and understand their place in the world. It is important for all children to have role models who resemble them as a means of developing confidence. Deaf children with d/Deaf parents show higher levels of academic achievement, have greater independence, and develop better social skills (TEDxTalk. 2013. 5:50). However, this doesn’t imply that d/Deaf parents are