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As one who has studied sign language (SEE) and can 'get by' in a conversation, it is sad to see this development over the last 20 years. The adult deaf have no idea how they are marginalizing their children in society. It's not unlike parents who might say no to a prosthetic device for their handless child that would allow the child to function normally in society - i.e., get a good paying job, go on the internet, pay bills, etc. I have the same problem with deaf parents who reject a 'total communication' approach for their children in school - limiting their child to ONLY Ameslan.

Though I do not consider sign language (even ASL) to be a 'foreign language' (as it is a form of interpreted English), it is certainly an interesting course of study. The difficulty with taking the courses is that it is almost impossible for the hearing (except those raised by or living with the deaf) to become proficient enough for such jobs as medical, legal, diplomatic, etc. interpretation. And since most Americans don't live with the deaf, there is little chance to converse and hone skills.

Thank you for your post. I can't imagine not wanting a child to hear if medically possible, believing the alternative to be adequate or even desirable.

Just another small point : what happens when the lights go out, and you want to warn someone of danger ??
Believe it or not, the ancient Celts are said to have had an additional variant of sign language, which was conveyed with coded tapping-( but of course, you had to be close enough to touch each other. )

This is a controversial issue in our family. Our daughter was born deaf and attends the state school for the deaf; rides the school bus 70 miles each way everyday and lives at home. The services she receives there are beyond compare to anything available in a regular ed classroom with interpreters. The problem, (as I see it) is that she lives in a separate world of sorts. We are both teachers and use ASL extensively but cannot provide the social interaction that our daughter receives at the school for the deaf.

We have always wanted to try life off the road system but concern for our daughter has always placed dreams on backburner. Well, this year we accepted positions at a 50/50 mixed community located on the ocean in the Tongass forest. Nice place right where all the boat people from lower 48 gawk at the glaciers, whales, and mountains; tremendous hunting & fishing. No road to the place, just barge and daily flights.

I feel this will be a good experience for our daughter, as I believe she is currently somewhat segregated into the deaf culture. My wife disagrees but we are trying it for a year. Our fear is not the academics, but the social aspect.

Anyway, with the current teacher shortage; we could quit one day and have 25 job offers the next. I sure hope that we find that out daughter continues to excell in this new environment or my wife will be proved up once again.

So it looks as though we are going to find out firsthand if the deaf are better served within their own community or in a mainstream educational environment.

The deaf community is generally quite pro-active now-a-days. Big change from the days they were considered mutes,warehoused,wards of the govt, and noncontributing members of society. No going back for them. The good IDEA has accomplished.

I have a dear aunt who was born deaf 88 years ago. Even way back when she was a child in Texas, there was a state school for the deaf just 40 miles from her home. The superintendant of schools visited my grandparents many times, and begged them to send my aunt to the deaf school. My grandparents adamantly opposed all of their efforts, mainly because they didn't want their child to be "different" by using her hands to speak.

As it turned out, this was the best thing they ever did for my aunt, because she learned (taught herslf) lip-reading. Also, my mother, who was 5 years younger than my aunt, taught her sister speech! It was a very primitive method--they would go out in the outhouse and my mother would put her mouth on my aunt's ear and scream at the top of her lungs! My aunt had just enough hearing to begin to make out sounds and words.

This lady went on to teach herself hair dressing, became very good at it, and supported herself very well all her life.

Down the road, hearing aids were invented, and these helped her somewhat. Today's advancements in hearing aid technology further increased her ability to hear, but she still has to rely a lot on lip-reading.

Today, this dear lady remains an upbeat, funny lady who has had a full life. She has outlived 3 husbands, supported her parents in their old age, and to this day, lives alone and takes care of herself.

She has had 2 hearing dogs in her lifetime that were a great benefit to her as she grew older, and I highly recommend these dogs to deaf people.

"Though I do not consider sign language (even ASL) to be a 'foreign language' (as it is a form of interpreted English), it is certainly an interesting course of study."

??? By interpreted English, do you mean signed English? ASL isn't even close to English or any other language in grammar or syntax, and so must certainly by classified as a foreign language.

Though I do not consider sign language (even ASL) to be a 'foreign language' (as it is a form of interpreted English), it is certainly an interesting course of study. The difficulty with taking the courses is that it is almost impossible for the hearing (except those raised by or living with the deaf) to become proficient enough for such jobs as medical, legal, diplomatic, etc. interpretation. And since most Americans don't live with the deaf, there is little chance to converse and hone skills.

ASL is NOT merely a form of interpreted English. It has its own grammar, rules, etc., and it conveys info completely differently than does English. In fact, some concepts are easier to express in ASL than in English, and many make much more sense when ASL is used.

Also, different countries have their own versions of signing. A friend of mine is fluent in American, British, and Kenyan sign languages (plus she knows a smattering of Mexican and French), each of which is extremely different from ASL. In no way can Kenyan sign language be considered "interpreted English!"

It is no more impossible for the hearing to become fluent in ASL than for any person to become fluent in any other language. It isn't easy, but it isn't impossible. Many speakers of other languages can't translate legal or medical terms, either, but that is no reason to not learn the language. Getting a job as an interpreter and talking to the deaf are two different things, and are not necessarily mutually required or desired.

True, not being able to converse or hone skills with the deaf makes becoming better at ASL more difficult. That same problem comes up with any foreign language someone is trying to learn. I took German in high school and college, and never had anyone outside of class to talk to. I still learned enough to appreciate the culture and literature more than I did before taking the classes, and I learned a lot about English in the process as well. The same applies to ASL.

Also, there are a lot more deaf people out there than most hearing people are aware of. So, finding someone to "talk" to really isn't that much of a problem if someone makes the effort to find them.

I've been debating whether or not to teach my daughters sign language. They both have speech problems, and one of them has a severe problem.

Sign language is taught to children that have speech problems. For some reason, it helps them to actually speak when they learn sign.