The Milan Conference and the Century of Oralism
The Milan Conference in 1880 had a lasting negative impact on the Deaf community by pushing a shift from sign language to spoken language in education. At this meeting, hearing educators decided that sign language was inferior, leading to rules that banned signing in schools and resulted in Deaf teachers being fired. This was not just a teaching style change. It was part of a long-term effort to diminish Deaf culture and force people to fit into hearing norms. By treating deafness as a condition that needed fixing, the conference took away the community’s right to use their own language. People need to know this history because it highlights how easily a community can be marginalized when it is excluded from decisions about its own education.
TARRA, G. (1881). RESOLUTIONS OF THE MILAN CONVENTION. American Annals of the Deaf and Dumb, 26(1), 64–65. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44461122
The 1988 Deaf President Now
The 1988 Deaf President Now (DPN) movement at Gallaudet University finally broke that cycle of oppression. By demanding a Deaf leader for a Deaf institution, the protesters proved that self-determination is a right, not a request. This movement paved the way for the ADA in 1990, which started the long process of codifying our civil rights into federal law. I want people to know this timeline because it marks the essential shift from the medical model to the social model of disability. We moved from being viewed as broken individuals to being recognized as a linguistic minority with a right to an accessible world. These two events show that true inclusion only happens when those of us with lived experience are the ones in charge.
Christiansen, J. B., & Barnartt, S. N. (1995). Deaf President Now!: The 1988 Revolution at Gallaudet University. Gallaudet University Press. https://doi-org.cmich.idm.oclc.org/10.2307/j.ctv2rcngrg