Social Adjustment of Deaf Persons in the United States of America

Abstract

There are basically two philosophies in the education of deaf children in the United States and the particular philosophy to which any deaf child is exposed can exert a strong influence on his type of social status and adjustment as an adult. The one philosophy projects the goal of making the deaf child as much like a non-deaf person as possible — a fully participating member of the general society as an adult. This requires education solely in oral methods, education as much as possible within the main stream of general education, and fostering of attitudes of identification with the general population. The other philosophy applauds the goal of the first to the extent that it is achievable but believes it is achievable only to a limited extent with most deaf persons. The goal of the second philosophy is to make the deaf person a well-integrated, happy deaf individual and not, as has been stated, “a pale imitation of a hearing person” (Barker et al., 1953). The programs based on this philosophy permit the use of manual communication along with oral communication, education largely within segregated environments, and as a result of the environment foster identification with the deaf portion of the general population.

During the past 10 years there has been an increasing amount of research on the social, marital, and occupational status of deaf adults in the United States. While the researchers often have no particular adherence to either of the philosophies they often find themselves becoming tangled in the philosophies in interpreting the results of their studies of deaf adults. These studies have begun to provide a considerable amount of factual information about deaf adults which hopefully will eventually replace the inspirational stories and anecdotal accounts of the past. Factual information on the social, marital, and occupational status of the adult deaf population should provide an objective basis for evaluating the relationship between the philosophies and methods of the schools and the attained results.

The paper discusses the early information on the adult deaf population of the United States collected by the studies of Martens (1937) and Best (1943). It then traces the growing interest in studies of the adult deaf population during the past 10 years beginning with the study of occupational conditions among the deaf by Lunde and Bigman (1959). This study of more than 10.000 deaf persons presented a wealth of information on their marital, occupational, and social status and adjustment.

The work of Rainer and his associates at the New York Psychiatric Institute (1963) is discussed. This work was not only a pioneering effort in providing psychiatric services to deaf persons, but also included a survey of the adult deaf population of New York State. It provides a wealth of information on the social status and adjustment of that population.

Studies by Furfey and Harte (1964) and Schein (1968) provide information on the deaf population of a small town (Furfey) and a large metropolitan area (Schein). Together these studies provide insight into the social status and adjustment of deaf adults and the extent of their interaction with members of the general community of non-deaf persons.

Information also is presented on a study by Quigley, Jenne, and Phillips (1968) of deaf students who attended colleges and universities throughout the United States. This study of a select population contains information on the pre-college and college years of the group and on the occupational, marital, and social adjustment of those who had graduated from college at the time the study was conducted. There is discussion of an ongoing study by Quigley of the products of day classes, day schools, and a state school in Illinois. The study is attempting to examine variables, including previous types of schooling, related to occupational, marital, and social status and adjustment. The paper summarizes the information from the studies of the social adjustment of deaf persons in the United States, discusses the implications of the findings for future educational and rehabilitation programs, and presents some information on the relationships between educational philosophies and the products of the philosophies.

Résumé

Il existe aux États-Unis deux méthodes principales, en ce qui concerne l'éducation des enfants sourds et la méthode particulière, à laquelle sera soumise un enfant sourd, pèsera lourdement plus tard sur la condition sociale de l'enfant et son adaptation à la société en tant qu'adulte. Le but de la première méthode est de faire de l'enfant sourd une personne comme les autres — un membre de la société à part entière. Cette philosophie exige une éducation s'appuyant presque uniquement sur des méthodes orales, ressemblant le plus possible à l'éducation qui est donnée normalement aux enfants et encourageant les sourds à s'intégrer à la société. L'autre méthode est tout à fait en accord avec le but désiré par la première, dans la mesure où celui-ci peut ětre réalisé, mais elle pense que cela n'est faisable qu'avec un nombre limité de personnes sourdes. Aussi la deuxième méthode a comme dessein de faire d'un sourd un individu heureux, bien intégré à la société, qui n'est pas, comme il a été dit souvent, ←le paˇle reflet d'une personne qui jouit ouïe normale→ (Barker, et al., 1953). Les programmes de cette deuxième méthode permettent de communiquer non seulement manuellement, mais aussi oralement, d'avoir une éducation fortement intégrée à son propre milieu et, de ce fait, encourage une identification complète avec les autres personnes sourdes.

Cet article donne un résumé, obtenu d'un certain nombre d'études entreprises aux États-Unis depuis dix ans, sur la condition sociale des sourds et leur adaptation; il discute en měme temps les répercussions que vont amener les découvertes en ce qui concerne la future éducation des sourds et les programmes de réhabilitation entrepris en leur faveur, et introduit quelque information au sujet des relations établies entre les méthodes pédagogiques et leurs résultats.