World Around You January-February 1997 Table of Contents; Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, Gallaudet University-

J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y - 1 9 9 7

Rulers, Corner, Math, Knife Used in Fight Against Sign Language

Oral programs--where deaf students learn through speech and lipreading--have changed a lot over the years. In the 1950's, oralists believed that use of sign language would hurt deaf children. Punishments were severe in those days, too.

DENNIS BERRIGAN
Dennis Berrigan is American Sign Language Training and Evaluation Coordinator, in Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, at Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.

"We Knew We Were Strong..."
Buffalo, New York
We sat three in a row--a girl, a boy, and myself in between. We were in first grade. Our teacher was a nun and she was very strict. We were all scared of her.

All day, we wore headphones and practices speech. The teacher did not allow any signing at all. Sign language was completely forbidden in class. We were supposed to learn through speech and lipreading.

We still signed to each other, of course, and when the teacher caught us, she would smack us on the arms. Sometimes she would hit us with a wooden rod and sometimes she would hit us with a ruler.

Once when she caught me, I knew what was expected, so I offered her my arm to hit. She slapped so hard, she broke her ruler. Another time, she hit a boy next to me until red welts rose up on his skin. I remember when he showed his arm to us.

We didn't like getting hit, but when I broke a ruler and when my friend showed me his welts, we grinned secretly at each other. We knew we were strong... We even felt a little proud.

CHRIS HUNTER
Chris Hunter is Director of the Division on Deafness, in Lansing, Michigan.

"Warning... We Would Lose Our Hands"
Los Angeles, California
I was young, 10 or 11, and in the fourth or fifth grade in an oral day school program. The school had a strict policy against the use of sign language. We were not allowed to gesture, sign, or fingerspell at all.

Still many of my friends and I used made up signs to communicate in secret places. When we were caught, we were punished. Punishment took various forms. Sometimes our hands were slapped with a ruler. Sometimes we were made to sit in a corner. Sometimes we did multiplication and division drills repeatedly. One day in class, I was playing with a rubber ball, winding it around my fingers, wrist, and hand. Jokingly, I looked over and signed something to the student next to me. I laughed and the teacher turned and looked.

She stopped, called for the class to follow her, and walked out of the classroom. We were all puzzled. I could see she was upset. We arrived in the school kitchen where the teacher spoke with one of the chefs. We students crowded around a butcher block, where meat was chopped up. The teacher called for me to come forward. The chef grabbed my hand, put it on the block, and lifted the butcher knife. He raised it high above my hand and lowered it quickly. He stopped with the knife a few inches from my wrist. Then he let my hand go. I was shaky and I cried. The students gathered around me shocked. The teacher came forward and warned us that we would lose our hands if we continued to use sign language.

In 5th grade, my parents pulled me out of the school and placed me in California School for the Deaf in Riverside. Then I could use sign language. I was free.

General comments may be sent to: ISCS.ClercCenter@gallaudet.edu