Deaf Timeline

Hebrew Law Denies Deaf Rights 1000BC The Torah protected the deaf from being cursed by others. Does not allow the Deaf to participate fully in the rituals of the Temple. Property Rights were denied to Deaf- mutes.

Philosophy of Innate Intelligence 427-347 B.C. Plato: All intelligence was present at birth. All people are born with perfect abstracts, ideas and language in their minds and required only time to demonstrate their intelligence. Without speech there was no outward sign of intelligence, so Deaf people must not be capable of ideas or language

Ancient Greeks and Deaf Education 355 B.C. Aristotle "Deaf people could not be educated… without hearing, people could not learn." and those "born deaf become senseless and incapable of reason.” Greek = perfect language Can’t speak Greek = Barbarians Deaf = barbarian.

Early Christians, Deafness is a Sin 345-550 A.D. St. Augustine Tells early Christians that deaf children are a sign of God's anger at the sins of their parents. Some people believed that if you were deaf, it was a punishment from another life’s bad actions.

Dark and Middle Ages Dark Ages - the early part of the Middle Ages: Deaf adults objects of ridicule (court jesters) Committed to asylums because of speech and behavior thought to be possessed by demons. Middle Ages-“People born deaf could not have faith, could not be saved and were barred from churches" Must be able to "hear" the word of God - Punishment from God.

Wait…What? Torah = Protection Plato- Intelligence from birth. No Speech=No Intelligence Aristotle "Deaf people could not be educated… No Language = Barbaric St. Augustine- Deaf = Past Sins Dark Ages- Jester or Asylum Middle Ages- Couldn’t hear God’s word… Cannot be saved.

Enlightenment begins…. Geronimo Cardano of Padua, Italy: First physician to recognize the ability of the deaf to reason. Juan Pablo Bonet : An advocate of early sign language, to write the first well-known book of manual alphabetic signs for the deaf in 1620. Pedro Ponce de Leon, a Benedictine Monk : Invent signs to circumvent "vow of silence". To communicate necessary information, they develop their own form of sign language. These signs may have been used later in attempts to teach Deaf children Successfully teaches speech to people deaf since birth.

Martha's Vineyard 1690-1880 Settled by 200 immigrants from Kent County England, an area known as "the Weald". Carried dominant and recessive genes for deafness. By the mid-1700's a sign language (not ASL, it was not invented yet) had developed on the island, used by deaf and hearing islanders alike.

Deaf education around the world French Sign Language est. 1760 Charles Michel De L'Eppe established the first free public school for the Deaf. England 1760 •  Thomas Braidwood opened first school for the deaf in England. Germany 1777 •  Arnoldi, a German pastor, believed education of the deaf should begin as early as four years. Rome 1784 •  Abba Silvestri opened first school for the deaf in Italy in Rome.

Deaf education: america First American Deaf School Founded 1817. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet & Laurent Clerc: THG was an American that was interested in Deaf Education. Travels to Europe and met Clerc. Both men return to America and found: American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut. (Original name was the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb Persons) Soon, many teachers were trained in Hartford then spread sign-based Deaf schools in New York, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and many more places.

Golden age of education 1864 Gallaudet College opens (Thank you President Lincoln!) National College for the Deaf and Dumb, it is the only accredited facility for the deaf in the United States to offer college degrees. The first president of Gallaudet is Edward Miner Gallaudet, son of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet.

1910’s-1950’s America While Deaf people were not allowed in the military in both World War I and II, the labor shortages provided many job opportunities for Deaf people in America. Many take manufacturing jobs, and new deaf communities, such as the one based around the Goodyear plant in Akron, Ohio, flourish. Meanwhile, in Europe, entire companies of deaf soldiers take up arms. In the field, commands are being given using special signs that can be seen at a distance.

1960’s-asl is a language 1960-First Linguistic book and defense of ASL as a language by William Stoke. 1968 - Bilingual Education Act (P.L. 89-10) is passed. American Sign Language is not included because it is not recognized as a language. Discuss Era of Change…

1970’s Total Communication leads to: Mainstreaming. 1970-1972 – Signing systems developed. These sign systems are to be used simultaneously with speech to promote the development of English skills. 1973-Disabled gain right to equal access: The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 includes a section requiring that the disabled be given access and equal opportunity to use the resources of organizations that receive federal funds or that are under federal contracts. This opens many doors, requires accommodations such as TTY phones and interpreters be provided for the deaf.

1970’s continued 1975 – Public Law 94-142 :is passed requiring handicapped children in the U.S. be provided with free and appropriate education, allowing many to be mainstreamed into regular public schools, where they receive special instruction but interact with the general public school population.

1980’s Silent Network - A Deaf Cable Channel. Broadcasting in 1981 with only 2 million homes, and by 1990, many as 14 million homes has access to the program. The network went 24-hours a day, seven days a week. 1985-Cochlear implants approved for clinical trials in people 18 years and older. 1987-Deaf actress wins an Oscar. Marlee Matlin becomes the first Deaf actress to win an Academy Award for her role in “Children of a Lesser God”.

Dpn!! Who can tell me what happened?

1990’s The 1972 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is re-adopted and amended to recommend that disabled students should attend schools with the "least restrictive environment." Residential deaf schools are in shock as they become labeled the "most restrictive environment."

1990’s continued 1995- The first deaf Miss America was crowned. (Heather Whitestone) She was quoted as saying “Speech worked for me, but it does not work for all deaf children.” Speech vs. sign clouds her reign. Her attempt to calm the storm by stressing individual differences and "it (speech) worked for me, but it does not work for all deaf children" does not entirely end the controversy. The question is often asked, "Is she an appropriate deaf role model for deaf children and for the general public?" Meanwhile, cochlear implants and implanting was on the rise. The age was lowered to 2 years of age for implantation.