At this Congress, a declaration was made that the oral method was superior to that of sign. Eight resolutions banning sign language and voting in favour of the oral method, most particularly the two topmost resolutions, were passed with high majorities, giving those who opposed it absolutely no chance at all. The sign supporters tried to get their voices heard, but failed. Summary of the Eight Resolutions –
• Resolution 1: instruction by the oral method in deaf education must be preferred. Voted 160 to 4 in favour on 7/9/1880. • Resolution 2: effectively sealing the fate of sign language in the education of the deaf. Voted 150 to 16 in favour on 9/9/1880. • Resolution 3: providing the education of poor deaf children and adults. Unanimously voted in favour on 10/9/1880. • Resolution 4: creating guidelines on how to instruct deaf pupils orally. Carried on 11/9/1880. • Resolution 5: the need for instructional books for deaf oral teachers. Carried on 11/9/1880. • Resolution 6: to ensure the long-term benefits of oral instruction. Carried on 11/9/1880. • Resolution 7: the optimal ages for oral education and length of instruction. Carried on 11/9/1880. • Resolution 8: phasing out of sign-language-using pupils and to create segregation of sign and oral pupils if necessary. Carried on 11/9/1880. Although other topics were supposed to be discussed, the Congress mainly focussed on the methods of education, and representatives talked about the method of instruction used in their schools – either speech or the combined system. There have been reports and historical accounts of the way the Congress was run, and those who gave talks supporting sign and the combined system were ridiculed and jeered off the platform. Those who gave speeches supporting the Oral method were cheered, applauded and praised. They held demonstrations at the two deaf schools in Milan, where they showed a small number of “successful” orally educated deaf schoolchildren to the delegates. The schoolchildren were paraded up and asked questions orally, mainly by the Italian delegates, and they successfully responded orally, much to the delight of most of the observing delegates. However, the sign-supporting observers, particularly the Gallaudet brothers, Rev. Thomas and Edward Miner, were unconvinced by this. Later it transpired that the “Orally successful” deaf pupils were carefully selected prior to the Congress, and were not deaf at birth. This meant that they already had natural speech when they lost their hearing, as well as having some hearing left. A good number of the Italian delegates who asked questions – the only ones who were allowed to – were actually Oralist teachers from both of the Milan schools. Edward Miner Gallaudet wrote that he had observed that there were signing and non-speech-educated deaf pupils in the Milan schools, but they were hidden away. Throughout the week, an Oralist phrase "Viva la parola!" – Italian for "The word lives!" was often used as a symbol of the superiority of the oral method. |