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ABSTRACT: With a historical context as a foundation, the current trends, practices, and perspectives regarding the manual component of educating deaf children is examined, including Manually Coded English systems and American Sign Language. As decisions are considered regarding various approaches to sign communication, it is necessary to investigate issues that support and also question the appropriateness of any given language/ system. In addition to the sign language/systems, an equally important aspect is the instructional strategy that supports sign usage, such as Total Communication, Simultaneous Communication, and Bilingual Education. Issues affecting the selection and use of sign language/ systems conclude this article.
KEY WORDS: American Sign Language, language acquisition, sign systems, deaf students
he goals and processes of teaching deaf children have been subjected to much debate since the inception of the education of deaf students. A major focus of controversy has been the use of sign language to teach deaf students. The trends in Deaf education have vacillated from one extreme of communication philosophy to another-from pure oralism to bilingual applications of English and American Sign Language (ASL).
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The first public school for deaf children was established in the late 1700s in France by Abbe de I' Epee (Bernard, 1987). In that environment, the use of sign language was considered to be the most effective way to teach deaf children. Instructional activities within the school were conducted in a standardized sign language. This was a departure from previous practices in private programs that emphasized the development of oral skills as the sole avenue for deaf children to receive education. This pedagogical shift set off several controversies that are still debated today, including the incorporation of sign language in Deaf education and, when used, the type of signing most appropriate for teaching. (For complete historical reviews, see Moores, 1987; Scouten, 1984; and Van Cleve & Crouch, 1989.)
The instructional use of sign language in the United States began in 1817 with the arrival of a French teacher who was deaf, Laurent Clerc, who, with Thomas Gallaudet cofounded the first American school for deaf children in Hartford, Connecticut. The school began a long-standing tradition in this country of using sign language to teach deaf children. It also served to preserve the role of sign...