Deaf education approaches and pedagogical practices

¶ … educating the deaf. It deals primarily with the video "Dreams Spoken Here" and the ability to teach deaf people to communicate orally and therefore learn in a non-segregated environment.

Deaf Education

Until relatively recently, deaf education occurred in specialized settings designed specifically to meet the needs of deaf children, according to John Luckner. He further adds that many methods were utilized to educate deaf children depending on the needs of the specific children as well as the preferences chosen by the parents. By segregating deaf children, many feel that the social options of deaf children are unnecessarily limited and constricted. Today, as in the past, the question of educating deaf children usually comes down to the seemingly simple question of teaching the child to communicate manually or orally. To many, this is not a simple choice. However, with the advent of advanced technology such as improved hearing aids and cochlear implants, it seems that the choice has been made easier as it is possible, with aid from these devices, for a deaf child to hear, as per the video, "Dreams Spoken Here." Further stated in the video, by providing the means for the deaf to hear, it is now possible to educate deaf children in regular classrooms, thus mainstreaming them into the social world of the hearing.

Upon viewing "Dreams Spoken Here," one is awakened to the fact that deaf people can indeed hear. It is, in fact, possible for the deaf to perceive sounds and learn to communicate orally. Clearly, the video changes the age old misconception that deaf people can not hear anything and are not capable of oral communication. Thereby, also altering the view that deaf children must be taught to communicate manually and in specially designed settings. Thus, effectively excluding them from the world of the hearing.

By identifying the presence of hearing difficulties early, and developing strategies to overcome the problem at an early age, deaf children may now be mainstreamed into the hearing culture, as seen in the video. Early intervention is the key according to the video. By assessing the degree of hearing loss at an early age, a strategy may be developed to optimize an intervention plan designed to meet each individual's needs. These strategies may now include both oral and manual teaching methods. By incorporating oral methods into a deaf child's repertoire, the deaf child may interact with any hearing person, not just those who know how to manually communicate with the deaf.

Per Luckner, it is now known that deafness is not an all or nothing state of being. Most deaf people have some residual hearing which may be enhanced by modern day technology such as hearing aids and cochlear implants. Which technology used depends upon the individual. Each individual must be tested to determine if their hearing loss is moderate, profound, or severe. Only then can the appropriate devices be utilized to technologically enhance that person's ability to orally communicate and "learn" to hear (date unknown).

As shown in the video, many teaching techniques are employed to teach the deaf to orally communicate. These strategies include but are not limited to repetition and communication clues. Regardless of the strategy, patience seems to be the key. There is no quick fix for deafness although there have been significant advancements in hearing enhancement technology. Teaching the deaf to communicate orally requires the assistance of parents, family, doctors, nurses, speech therapists, audiologists, teachers, and other specialists. With early intervention, technology, and the hard work and patience of those listed above, it is now possible to include the deaf in the hearing world. This includes mainstreaming them into regular classrooms and eliminating the need for segregated education (date unknown).