Values « Deaf and Philosophy
One reason the oral method has been so dominant - even when it is clear the child is not benefiting - is the widespread notion that speech = language. And lack of speech means lack of language.
Here, an argument is presented that this is not so.
Stephen Hawkins, perhaps one of the most brilliant minds in the last 50 years, does not speak at all. He uses a computer to have the ability to talk, but it is arduous for him to get a sentence out, and he blinks in Morse code if I remember correctly. If a child can communicate in Morse code, then what is wrong with that as long as there is communication? Why do people confuse the ability to speak with language development? Communication is not just about making sounds, nor is it about the ability to hear sounds.
