Never the Twain Shall Meet: Bell, Gallaudet, and the Communications Debate [Paperback]

Richard Winefield (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 129 pages
• Publisher: Gallaudet University Press (August 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563680564
• ISBN-13: 978-1563680564
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,570 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Never the Twain Shall Meet is a history, but more importantly it is an analysis of why the communications controversy exists and its implications for policy. My interest is getting to root causes, whether they be in education, politics, international affairs, etc. I wrote the book many years ago, and while issues associated with deafness still interest me, I've moved on to work in K-12 education, and then public broadcasting. I currently am Director at the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Look Into the History of Deaf Education!, September 1, 2003

By 

Tom "Tom" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Never the Twain Shall Meet: Bell, Gallaudet, and the Communications Debate (Paperback)

Whether you believe education should be ASL only, oral only, SEE, total communication, simultaneous communication, or any derivitive, this book will provide for you a very in-depth and interesting history of Galluadet and Bell and their philosophies.

It seems clear that the author has his personal opinions (as anyone in the field would), but he certainly doesn't force them, or even mention them, to the readers. Presented in a fair and unbiased format, this book tells of the history of the leaders in deaf education at that time and then explains their personal beliefs and presumptions of oralism or manual learning.

This book will get your blood boiling at times, as you read about the thinking of people whose opinion differs from yours, but you'll walk away a more knowledgeable and insightful person. Relatively easy to read (I read it in two days), it also features a few photographs and illustrations of the founders of deaf education in the United States.

A good book for anyone interested in the history, but a must-read for educators. That's just this deafie's opinion. :o)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Historic Insight Into Current Communication Standoff, November 19, 2004

By 

rodboomboom (Dearborn, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Never the Twain Shall Meet: Bell, Gallaudet, and the Communications Debate (Paperback)

Having just entered this world of deaf and Hard of Hearing, this book was especially insightful. It presents the argument that the same polarization that faced both Alexander Bell and Edward Gallaudet are still with us today.

I never knew much about either of these productive individuals, but what Winefiled provides in this work is substantial. The parallels of their upbringing and the differences are chronicled in easy-to-read text. Winefield is able remarkably to remain aloof from adding his own view and let's these two giants of the debate speak with their lives and their opinions.

Integration in the hearing world versus full individual potential are laid out, leading up to and beyond confrontation between these two innovators of educating deaf children. The oralist versus the combined method continue to be debated and tested.

One salient point brought out in this fine work is that the attitudes and expectations of each individual will determine his response to this debate. A fine work to aid in beginning to understand the complexities of this yet resolved historical communications issue.