A Place of Their Own: Creating the Deaf Community in America [Paperback]

John Vickrey Van Cleve (Author), Barry A. Crouch (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: Gallaudet University Press; 1st edition (March 10, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0930323491
• ISBN-13: 978-0930323493
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Current Events > Poverty > Social Services & Welfare
  • #83 in Books > History > Americas > United States > 19th Century

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars All this talk of disease..., January 6, 2001

By 

Nick (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Place of Their Own: Creating the Deaf Community in America (Paperback)

For everyone who is interested in this book, let it first be said that I think many people interested and involved in the deaf community would find it appaling that deafness is being treated as a "sin" or and "error" in humans. While not all people may agree with me on this point, I think it is very important to watch your comments when referring to these books. While Van Cleve uses historical analysis in his work, it fails to account for any positive deaf cultured view of the situation. Those involved in this culture will tell you that deafness is not a disease or a problem, but part of a human being, and Van Cleve fails to recognize this point, and therefore fails in any attempt to empower the Deaf Community. Whether or not this was his attempt is not as important. We all must be aware of the fact that some people are happy how they are. They dont want their deafness "treated" or "cured" becuase it can't be - it is as much a part of them as your eye color.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Deaf as an Ethnicity, May 14, 2009

By 

Orville B. Jenkins "Research Guy" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Place of Their Own: Creating the Deaf Community in America (Paperback)

This is an excellent history for deaf education in the United States. It is a readable and insightful treasure of names, dates and institutions, developed against the broader canvas of world deaf education. The volume documents the development of social and political factors involved in the position of the deaf population within the broader general population in Europe and the United States.

These two scholars develop the story chronologically and thematically from the 1500s, paralleling the stages of social and industrial development in western society. They portray the attitudes and approaches to the deaf community and shine their specific spotlight on the growing consciousness of the deaf as a coherent community over the last 200 years.

The Deaf were seen often as disabled and less able to learn, or were made to learn speech to enhance their interaction with the hearing community and their usefulness to the dominant hearing culture. As educational movements they contrast the development of methods in Europe and the New World. Notably, two streams focus on methods using sign language or oral-only approaches meant to establish oral fluency and lip-reading among the deaf.

Sign language was initially developed in France and introduced in the American territories and modified for English. The authors detail the progress of sign language from France and its broader development in Britain by the Frenchman Clerc and its intentional crossing of the Atlantic in early institutions established in the US. This method was an early success and continued in the US.

A new approach gradually gained dominance in Europe, however, focused on bringing the deaf to competency in oral speech and "speech-reading" to participate in broader society. Though this approach did not exhibit notable practical results, it came to be advocated by hearing persons involved in deaf education, and became a great adversary of sign language as a medium of communication.

Advocates of the "oralism" approach wanted to enable deaf persons to "become normal" and fully participate in the broader society. In contrast, there was a strong early development and management of deaf association and services by deaf persons for themselves.

Gallaudet University, whose press published the book, has a laudable history of practical deaf education and deaf advocacy in the United States. As an institution of the District of Columbia it was directly administered by Congress.

The oralism movement was more popular in certain circles, notable in Nebraska, where for a period, sign language education was actually prohibited by law in any state educational institution. In Europe oralism prevailed until more recently. Gallaudet is named after a member of the venerable family who pioneered deaf education in the United States. This university is now a world leader in resources and education for the Deaf community.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Place of Their Own: Creating the Deaf Community in America, November 5, 2006

By 

J. L. Snider (Olathe, Kansas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Place of Their Own: Creating the Deaf Community in America (Paperback)

As a student of American Sign Language and the Deaf community I have read many books on the subject. A Place of Their Own: Creating the Deaf Comminity in America is an excellent book in which to find details that you just don't find in many other places. It covers Deaf history, the people and places that influenced the Deaf community and the reasons for the importance of the Deaf community. This isn't a book that promotes or promises a "Utopian Deafland" it gives a realistic look at the the lives of Deaf people throughout history. As a textbook, this is an excellent learning tool for anyone. It belongs in the home of every Deaf person, every person with a Deaf family member and the home of every person that knows anyone who is Deaf. It would be a nice thing for any hearing person that doesn't know any Deaf people to help create an understanting of a community they are not likely familiar with. An excellent and easy read. I highly recommend it.