Introduction
Language can be seen and heard; it can be diverse or standard. What does this mean? To average norm students, this describes the ability of communication. Too hard of hearing and deaf children language takes on a whole new role, influencing their personal, social and academic development as well as life experiences. Whether a student is hard of hearing or deaf gaining, learning and communicating through language, both oral and visual, entails an entirely different experience than that of a hearing child. Children identifying with hearing impediments often relate to two different languages, one visual and one oral and written language. For example, in Australia, the visual language, sing language, is known as Auslan, with the oral …show more content…
Deaf citizens reside in cities all around the world, the majority of those countries individually have their own traditional mother tongue language or languages. D’Alessio (2015) suggests just like oral languages, sign language itself is not restricted to one particular language. Sign language officially dates back to the 1600 and as a collective has around 130 different variations which split into several families. For example, Australian sign language is related to the British and New Zealand sign language which all collectively descend from the same parent language and are all a part of the BANZSL language (Start ASL, 2016). Although collectively all sign languages are different, there is a communal phenomenon around deaf culture. When society thinks about culture, it is often described by one’s clothing, food, celebrations and language (The deaf society, 2016). The deaf society (2016) explains that language and culture are the roots that intertwine to define human identity, to affirm one’s existence. This quote literally emphasises the importance of language and its impact on life to the deaf community. The deaf community worldwide, a unique community, affirm with their uniqueness, not relating deafness as a disability at all. Instead, the deaf community sees deafness as a cultural and linguistic identity and not a communication barrier (National disability services, 2016). Sign language diversity and deaf culture distinguish the deaf community and their use of sign language in a way that excels beyond oral language. The appreciation for both oral and visual communication among the deaf community bring a profound realisation on the importance of all forms of
Language can be seen and heard; it can be diverse or standard. What does this mean? To average norm students, this describes the ability of communication. Too hard of hearing and deaf children language takes on a whole new role, influencing their personal, social and academic development as well as life experiences. Whether a student is hard of hearing or deaf gaining, learning and communicating through language, both oral and visual, entails an entirely different experience than that of a hearing child. Children identifying with hearing impediments often relate to two different languages, one visual and one oral and written language. For example, in Australia, the visual language, sing language, is known as Auslan, with the oral …show more content…
Deaf citizens reside in cities all around the world, the majority of those countries individually have their own traditional mother tongue language or languages. D’Alessio (2015) suggests just like oral languages, sign language itself is not restricted to one particular language. Sign language officially dates back to the 1600 and as a collective has around 130 different variations which split into several families. For example, Australian sign language is related to the British and New Zealand sign language which all collectively descend from the same parent language and are all a part of the BANZSL language (Start ASL, 2016). Although collectively all sign languages are different, there is a communal phenomenon around deaf culture. When society thinks about culture, it is often described by one’s clothing, food, celebrations and language (The deaf society, 2016). The deaf society (2016) explains that language and culture are the roots that intertwine to define human identity, to affirm one’s existence. This quote literally emphasises the importance of language and its impact on life to the deaf community. The deaf community worldwide, a unique community, affirm with their uniqueness, not relating deafness as a disability at all. Instead, the deaf community sees deafness as a cultural and linguistic identity and not a communication barrier (National disability services, 2016). Sign language diversity and deaf culture distinguish the deaf community and their use of sign language in a way that excels beyond oral language. The appreciation for both oral and visual communication among the deaf community bring a profound realisation on the importance of all forms of