Yesterday I visited the Wellcome Centre in London, where the 1880 THAT exhibit is on display.
The exhibit talks about the Second International Congress on Education of the Deaf, which was held in Milan in 1880. There was only a single Deaf person present.
The conference decided that "oral education" should replace sign language in schools. The impact was that sign languages were supressed in many parts of the world, leading Deaf people to be further isolated.
As well as videos telling the story of the 1880 conference and the lasting impact the suppression of language has had, there were some sculptures.
The above is a arm and hand that is periodically filled with air by a fan. It waves against a wall, eroding part of it but never breaking through. The hand is pointed in the direction of the Houses of Parliament.
It's supposed to represent the Deaf community trying to get the attention of decision makers and make their own voices heard.
One of the biggest advocates for the "oral system" is Alexander Graham Bell, along with his father. They are represented by here by a nose, which is a fusion of their own with a stock-footage nose which represents their followers.
Noses are shown throughout the exhibit. According to the guidebook, in French sign language (which ASL largely evolved from) there are lots of signs where the nose has a derogatory meaning.
The above is called the Meditation Bell. Every 15 minutes, the beater would hit the drum, four times followed by a pause and another four. It's designed to create as little audible sound while creating the most vibrations.
One of the information panels described AGB and his father's favouring of the oral system as "ironic" as both had Deaf wives. I don't think it's ironic, to be honest. Deaf people and people hard of hearing are often made to feel like our condition is inconvenient for others. We should be making all the effort to make sure they can communicate with us. Whichever method makes it easier for them is best.
I find it so frustrating and isolating and I'm only hard of hearing. I can't imagine how much worse others have it.
On a happier note, I was brought to tears by Finger Talk, which is an installation that combines a Visual Vernacular performance with archival footage of the British Deaf community through the 20th century socialising with BSL. These are normal every day people like any other group you'd meet but it meant so much to me.
NOTE: I am deaf (little d), and not part of the Deaf community - not that I don't want to be, I just didn't grow up deaf and haven't had the chance to make those connections. I just think this is important to specify. I'm still learning about the history and I might make mistakes. I aim to improve.
