CMD 175 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Sign Language, Hearing Loss, French Sign Language
1 Mar 2016
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Everyone here spoke sign language by nora groce. Islanders completely accepted that some people may not have been able to hear. They didn"t understand how one had a deaf child. Many islanders surprised to find out that their towns had a very high rate of deafness. Deafness did not affect a person"s status in the community. Many deaf individuals did not see their inability to hear as a handicap it. Still included in everything that people who could hear were involved in was just another trait they had. 19th century and into the early 20th century: entire up-island community was bilingual in sign language. Earlier, down-island may have been as well. Sign language was learned in childhood just as naturally as learning english. Deaf children can often learn sign at the same rate as hearing children learn. Children can often easily learn the two languages simultaneously. Hearing parents would teach their children, hearing or deaf, sign language.
