The argument over whether a deaf or hard of hearing child should learn to speak, learn to sign, or both is an old one. There are two main groups of people who argue for each side. A large portion of the adult deaf community feels that being deaf is a separate culture from the hearing and speaking world and that all deaf and hearing impaired children should be brought up as persons who do not need to speak orally. There are some parents and educators who also feel this way. The other side contains deaf people who have been taught to speak, some parents, and some educators who feel that being able to communicate readily with the mainstream oral community adds to a child's options and experiences.
There are organizations which promote both philosophies. Gaudette University in Washington D. C. is active in promoting manual communication and a unified deaf community. Some of these same researchers and educators are against the use of the cochlear implant devise (Tye-Murray, Spencer and Woodworth 327). Most of these individuals are also against the hearing impaired being taught to speak, read lips and use oral communication as their primary means of communicating with others. Their reasoning is that people who are born with significant hearing losses will lose both the culture of the hearing world and the culture of the deaf. They feel that deaf individuals will not ever be as proficient in the hearing world as a hearing person is able to be. Their theory is that if a deaf child is being taught to speak, lip read, and communicate orally then all other modes of communication will be neglected. The child will never be able to sign fluently nor talk easily. The child will be handicapped in both worlds.
Miss America, Heather Whitestone, caused many deaf people to feel that she betrayed the deaf culture by speaking and using oral communication. As she has said "Just because I'm deaf doesn't mean I have to sign " (Miss A...