Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!26!Jack.O'keeffe
From: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Jack O'keeffe)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: Sign Languages
Message-ID: <17873@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 28 Feb 91 15:58:01 GMT
Sender: wtm@bunker.UUCP
Reply-To: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org
Distribution: misc
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/26 - SoundingBoard, Pittsburgh PA
Lines: 37
Approved: wtm@bunker.UUCP

Index Number: 13722

[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]

 JW> Moreover, a truly deaf person never really masters English
 JW> on the level a hearing person does if he or she is born
 JW> deaf or deaf from a very early age.

James, your statement is simply NOT supported by the facts.

Examples abound of congenitally deaf or prelingually deafened
people who have a better command of the english language than the
average hearing person.  One does not have to look any farther
than a co-moderator of this echo to find an example of this.

I have another friend who is the 5th generation of congenital
profound deafness in his family.  He hears absolutely nothing.
Yet he has an excellent command of english, better than yours
and mine.  There are prelingually deafened people who earn their
living as authors and editors.  Do you seriously expect anyone
to believe you when you contend that they "never really master
english on the level of a hearing person"?

Many deaf people can do anything with english except hear it!

I believe that a sound case can be made for ASL on its merits.
One does not need to resort to misrepresentations of facts and
denigration of other signing systems to justify ASL.  You serve
both deaf people and ASL quite poorly when you do this.

                                         Jack.

... Xpress Yourself!

--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!26!Jack.O'keeffe
Internet: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org