Deaf Students

Because the disability of hearing impairment is intimately tied to language, education has played a much more significant role in shaping deafness than other disabilities. The history of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) education is marked by debates around sign language versus “oralism,” and only in recent decades have sign languages been accepted as the natural and legitimate language of the deaf. Educational research focuses on DHH student achievement, noting [Page 179]consistent disparities. There are growing accounts of deaf cultures and DHH education and communities around the world. There have been accounts of DHH individuals receiving education in ancient Greece and Renaissance Spain, but formal schooling for DHH students was not established until the 18th century in Europe. In 1817, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and ...