April is National Deaf History Month. It celebrates the achievements of Americans who are deaf or hard of hearing. The event began in 1997. The National Association of the Deaf introduced it. This group champions the rights of people with hearing loss. The story of deafness in North America, however, started long before then.
Deaf history in North America begins with Hand Talk. This Native American language uses hand motions instead of words. Hand Talk is ancient. It predates the arrival of European settlers. Hand Talk was developed by hundreds of Native American nations and tribes across North America. They all spoke different languages, so they created Hand Talk. They were hearing people. But people with hearing loss used it, too. It let them communicate with one another and with the hearing world.
Deaf communities are rare in early American history. One, however, took root in Massachusetts in the late 17th century. Many English settlers who lived there were born deaf. It was genetic. They created a sign language. It was learned by almost everyone in the community, including hearing people. The last person to use it died in 1952.
A huge event in American Deaf history was the opening of the American School for the Deaf in Connecticut in 1817. It was the first school of its kind. Thomas Gallaudet founded it with French teacher Laurent Clerc. Their paths first crossed in Europe. Gallaudet was there studying deaf teaching methods. He admired the French method of sign language. Gallaudet returned to the United States with Clerc. They opened a school that taught the method.
Soon, children from across the country began to attend. They brought with them the signs they used at home with their families. These signs blended with signs from French Sign Language. They formed American Sign Language (ASL). Gallaudet and Clerc went on to teach their method and ASL to Deaf communities across the country. ASL is now the main form of Deaf communication in the United States.
Some dates in American Deaf history mark the making of new laws. They protect the rights of people with hearing loss. These achievements were in large part due to the hard work of the National Association of the Deaf. One law took effect in 1975. It is now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It says that public schools must provide free education for children with hearing loss and other disabilities. And the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 outlaws discrimination against people with disabilities.
These are just a few important events in American Deaf history. Its time line includes many Americans who were deaf and demanded to be heard. Deaf History Month salutes them all.
Based on the article, the reader can tell that __________.
A. passing laws to protect the rights of people with hearing loss was a simple and quick task
B. children with hearing loss liked to use their own forms of hand signs at school rather than ASL
C. ASL was the first widespread form of communication for people with hearing loss in the U.S.
D. Clerc and Gallaudet did not agree on the best way to teach people with hearing loss