Historical Notes on the Education of the Deaf

Extract

The term “deaf and dumb,” as commonly used in this country to include the whole of this unhappy class, is a misnomer, the only persons to whom it could properly apply being those wholly uneducated, or who cannot hear or speak, though educated or partially so. It will be thus seen that for the vast majority of these unhappy ones—for all, indeed, if properly educated—the term should be “deaf,” not “deaf and dumb” for there is no such thing as a child born dumb because deaf. All without exception are born with voice, i.e., can produce vocal sound. It is only because of the want of a proper means of communication between deaf children and hearing persons that the former become dumb. Their brain-power, too, is the same as that of ordinary persons,—in fact, deafness alone makes them to differ.