Althought Pedro Ponce de Leon is seen as the first educator of deaf persons, little is known about his teaching techniques. Written accounts of his work are either lost or destroyed. It is Juan Martin Pablo Bonet who is credited with the introduction of the one-handed manual alphabet. This alphabet, for finger spelling of words, worked in combination with speech and writing.
During the 1700's, strong controversy erupted as to the best method of teaching deaf persons. Swiss doctor Johann Conard Amman and educator Samuel Heinicke of Germany were staunch advocates of spoken language as the most important means of communication amoung the deaf. Dr. Amman stressed his views on the need to teach spoken language in his book "Surdus Loquens" (The Speaking Deaf). While Samuel Heinicke followed Amman's ideas and taught speech and speech reading in his school in Germany, he did use natural signs and the manual alphabet as well.
Others, such as Abbe 'de l'Eppe of France remained rooted in the use of the manual alphabet. He created and demonstrated a language of signs whereby each would be a symbol suggesting a desired concept. Abbe 'de l'Eppe was able to develop the symbolic language by observing the manual communications of a group of deaf people in Paris. Then, adding his own creativity, he produced a signed version of spoken French.
In the 1817, the son of Thomas Gallaudet opened Gaullaudet College for the education of deaf persons, in Hartford,CT. Not long after this, debates began again regarding teaching methods. The issue centered around the method teachers should use to education deaf persons. Many insisted the oral method, the use of lip-reading skills and verbalization by deaf persons, should be taught. Others felt sign language, or the use of hands to create a motion which represents specific letters, numbers or words, was the better method. This debate continued for nearly thirty more years until 1880.
At the 1880 International Congress on the Education of the Deaf in Milan, the debate was ended. The International Congress stated the method of oral teaching was by far superior to the use of signs and oral teachings should be implemented at all schools for the deaf. It was of interest that no deaf person was allowed in this meeting and therefore no input as to the method deaf persons preferred. A United States delegate had been sent to attend in Milan but was denied access to the International Congress meeting. From that time on, speech and speech reading replaced sign language as the method of teaching the deaf in schools. It may be of interest that no deaf person was allowed in the meetings. For example, one of the USA's delegates was deaf and he was not allowed in the meetings.
Speech and speech reading continued to be the primary method taught in schools until 1960, when William Stokoe proved American Sign Language met all criteria of a formal language. Since that time, sign language has been slowly reintroduced in schools for the deaf. More attention was given to communication itself and not the mode.
Sign language soon became the primary mode of communication with the introduction of Total Communication. Total communication is sign language working in combination with finger spelling, speech, reading and writing. By the mid 1990's deaf children were learning the bilingual method, in which the deaf child learns sign language simultaneously, or at least as soon as possible,with speech and speech reading.
