Milan 1880: How?
How is it possible that these resolutions made by a small group of people had such wide ranging and for many: disastrous effects for at least a century?
Because after the Milan Conference, educators of the deaf in Europe and the US banned not only sign language, but also deaf teachers from their schools: "an act of discrimination and violation of human and constitutional rights." (from the Apology made in 2020 at the 21st International Congress on Education of the Deaf in Vancouver, BC, Canada, see the next slide).
It is not difficult to understand why the resolutions were accepted:
- The Milan Conference was organized by the Pereire Society, an organization that was a strong supporter of oralism. They organized the Milan conference with the intent to ban sign language. They secured this outcome by carefully selecting who was invited.
- During the conference there were 12 speakers who gave their opinions on the issues connected with deaf education. Nine of the twelve speakers gave an oralist view, and three (the Gallaudet brothers, and Richard Elliot, a teacher from England) supported the use of sign language.
Edward Miner Gallaudet and Reverend Thomas Gallaudet fought against the resolutions, but were outvoted. Although he could not overturn the Milan resolutions, Gallaudet ensured that the United States would not be completely converted to oralism-only. High school students in institutes for the deaf in the US continued to use sign language, and Gallaudet College (now Gallaudet University) as a university permitted and still permits full usage of sign language.
But why did all other schools for the deaf in Europe and the USA change to oral education after the Milan Conference?
One probable reason: because most deaf children are born in hearing families who want their child to be 'normal'. And because professionals promised, and still promise, that deafness can be 'cured'. One example of many:
"Oral deaf education seeks to equip an infant with verbal communication skills, and to enhance their personal and social development for daily challenges. This education means deaf infants can gain speech and language skills at a similar pace to their siblings and peers."
source: https://sound-advice.ie/oral-deaf-education/, sept. 2022