History of Deafness
Deaf Employment Skyrockets
While deaf people are not allowed to serve in the U.S. military during World War I and World War II, wartime labor shortages provide many new job opportunities for deaf people. Many take manufacturing jobs, and new deaf communities, such as the one based around the Goodyear plant in Akron, Ohio, flourish. Meanwhile, in Europe, entire companies of deaf soldiers take up arms. In the field, commands are given using special signs that can be seen at a distance.
Phone for Deaf Invented 1964
Robert Weitbrecht, who is deaf, invents the teletypewriter (TTY), which enables deaf people to use phone lines to call each other and type out their conversations
Oral Deaf Education Labeled 'Failure' 1964
Congress issues the Babbidge Report on oral deaf education and concludes that it has been a "dismal failure." Many in the deaf community applaud this report, and look at it as a long-over due acknowledgment of the superiority of manual communication and education.
Total Communication Leads to Mainstreaming 1970
Two historically divergent education methods converge, at least in theory, as Total Communication, a combination of manual and speech-based instruction for the deaf is developed and promoted. Formulated in the early 1960's by a mother dissatisfied with oral-based attempts to teach her deaf daughter, the Total Communication system gains grassroots support and becomes the foundation for a new approach to deaf education within public school systems. By 1975, Public Law 94-142, is passed requiring handicapped children in the U.S. be provided with free and appropriate education, allowing many to be mainstreamed into regular public schools, where they receive special instruction but interact with the general public school population.
Program Captioning Introduced 1972
The Caption Center at WGBH in Boston open captions "The French Chef" the country's first nationally broadcast captioned program. It airs on PBS. By 1980 Close Captioning is developed and the first show broadcast. Close Captioning hides the text from view unless the user has a decoding device. By 1993, the FCC requires that all newly manufactured televisions have the decoding chip.
Disabled Gain Right to Equal Access 1973
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 includes a section requiring that the disabled be given access and equal opportunity to use the resources of organizations that receive federal funds or that are under federal contracts. This opens many doors for wheelchair-bound and blind individuals, and also requires that accommodations such as TTY phones and interpreters be provided for the deaf.
Cochlear Implants Approved 1985
The cochlear implant is approved for clinical trials in people 18 and older. The device is a mechanical prosthesis of sorts for the inner ear. It bypasses the bones of the inner ear, placing electrodes directly into the cochlea, where sound waves are absorbed and interpreted by the auditory nerve.
Deaf Actress Wins Oscar 1987
Marlee Matlin becomes the first deaf actress to win an Academy Award, for her role in the movie "Children of a Lesser God."
'Deaf President Now' Protest Held 1988
Students and faculty at Gallaudet University protest the selection of another hearing president. The 'Deaf President Now' protest continues for one week, with multiple rallies, press conferences and marches. After eight days of student protests, I. King Jordan is named the first deaf president of Gallaudet University. Meanwhile, Congress recommends that American Sign Language be used as the primary language for the deaf, with English as a second language. In 1989 Gallaudet is again the focus of international attention when The Deaf Way brings together 5,000 deaf people from accross the globe. The event further boosts deaf pride and cultural awareness.
Americans with Disabilities Act Passed 1990
Discriminatory practices and obstacles to accessibility for the handicapped are both outlawed. The law has a huge impact on the wheel chair dependent, and also requires greater communications, education, and employment opportunities for the deaf. In keeping with the ADA, caption decoder chips are required in television sets larger than 13".
Deaf Schools Termed 'Restrictive' 1990
The 1972 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is re-adopted and amended to recommend that disabled students should attend schools with the "least restrictive environment." Residential deaf schools are struck a blow as they become labeled the "most restrictive environment." Enrollment plunges, and some schools close their doors.
First Deaf Miss America Crowned 1994
Heather Whitestone, an orally educated deaf woman from Birmingham, Alabama, wins the coveted crown. She states, [Speech] worked for me, but it does not work for all deaf children