Oralism
Encyclopedia
Oralism is the education of deaf students through spoken language
by using lip reading
, speech, and mimicking the mouth shapes and breathing patterns of speech instead of using sign language within the classroom. Oralism came into popular use in the United States around the late 1860s, with the Clarke School for the Deaf
in Northampton, Massachusetts
being the first school to start teaching in this manner, in 1867.
Many members of the deaf population in the United States opposed the oralist belief that deaf people should learn English, speech, and lip-reading, calling it "the dark ages for deaf education in America". Leaders of the manualist movement, including Edward M. Gallaudet, argued against the teaching of oralism because it restricted the ability of deaf students to communicate in what was considered their native language. Oralists generally prohibited the use of sign language in oralist schools altogether because they believed it prevented deaf people from integrating with the hearing community. Manualists were opposed to this because “attempts to eliminate sign language were tantamount to stripping them of their identity, their community, and their culture”.
Even though students were not allowed to use manual signs within the classroom, many of the deaf students preferred manual signs and used them frequently in their dorm rooms. These early attempts at oralism were commonly criticized because of their starkness. Some deaf children were considered “oral failures” because they could not pick up spoken language. Others thought that the techniques of oralism actually limited them on what they were taught because they always had to concentrate on the way the words were formed, not what they meant.
Spoken language
Spoken language is a form of human communication in which words derived from a large vocabulary together with a diverse variety of names are uttered through or with the mouth. All words are made up from a limited set of vowels and consonants. The spoken words they make are stringed into...
by using lip reading
Lip reading
Lip reading, also known as lipreading or speechreading, is a technique of understanding speech by visually interpreting the movements of the lips, face and tongue with information provided by the context, language, and any residual hearing....
, speech, and mimicking the mouth shapes and breathing patterns of speech instead of using sign language within the classroom. Oralism came into popular use in the United States around the late 1860s, with the Clarke School for the Deaf
Clarke School for the Deaf
Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech, formerly Clarke School for the Deaf, is a private school located in Northampton, Massachusetts that specializes in educating deaf children using the oral method through the assistance of hearing aids and cochlear implants...
in Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
being the first school to start teaching in this manner, in 1867.
History
Since the beginning of formal deaf education in the 18th century in the United States, manualism and oralism have been on opposing sides of a heated debate that continues to this day. The debate of whether or how deaf children should be taught started before even Socrates, Aristotle, and St. Augustine.Many members of the deaf population in the United States opposed the oralist belief that deaf people should learn English, speech, and lip-reading, calling it "the dark ages for deaf education in America". Leaders of the manualist movement, including Edward M. Gallaudet, argued against the teaching of oralism because it restricted the ability of deaf students to communicate in what was considered their native language. Oralists generally prohibited the use of sign language in oralist schools altogether because they believed it prevented deaf people from integrating with the hearing community. Manualists were opposed to this because “attempts to eliminate sign language were tantamount to stripping them of their identity, their community, and their culture”.
Even though students were not allowed to use manual signs within the classroom, many of the deaf students preferred manual signs and used them frequently in their dorm rooms. These early attempts at oralism were commonly criticized because of their starkness. Some deaf children were considered “oral failures” because they could not pick up spoken language. Others thought that the techniques of oralism actually limited them on what they were taught because they always had to concentrate on the way the words were formed, not what they meant.
Modern usage
The use of oralism declined markedly in the 1970s and 1980s. Research along those lines continued, however, and studies have helped validate the assertion that children benefit developmentally, educationally and socially from modern oralist teaching methodologies like the Auditory-Oral method. Geers and Moog (1989) found that of a test sample of 100 profoundly hearing-impaired 16- and 17-year olds enrolled in oral and mainstream programs, 88% were proficient and highly intelligible with their spoken language, and could read at much higher grade levels than the national average for deaf children.See Also
- Clarke School for the DeafClarke School for the DeafClarke Schools for Hearing and Speech, formerly Clarke School for the Deaf, is a private school located in Northampton, Massachusetts that specializes in educating deaf children using the oral method through the assistance of hearing aids and cochlear implants...
- Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of HearingAlexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of HearingThe Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, also known as AG Bell, is a resource, support network and advocate for listening, learning, talking and living independently with hearing loss...