Review of Sign Language Interpretation Services and Service ...

The research has considered mainstream factors as well as those that are part ofthe history of Deaf people and sign languages worldwide. The latter factorsinclude the banning of the use of sign language in education, the suppression ofthe language, its re-emergence and the fight for recognition. There is also a needto address the dimensions of language recognition and disability, and the uniqueway in which Deaf people have needs that straddle both of these. It is importantnot just to look at Irish Sign Language (ISL) as a linguistic choice but also toconsider the need for Deaf people who cannot access spoken language, toreceive ISL/English/Irish interpretation.5.1.2 Factors relating to the history of the deaf community andsign languagesDeaf children, sign language and educational attainmentThe majority of Deaf children (around 95%) are born to hearing parents. Thisfigure may be higher in certain countries owing to a lack of vaccination againstmeningitis, measles, etc. but the countries that have been chosen for this studyhave similar levels of healthcare and post-natal care. The fact that most Deafchildren have hearing parents can have a significant impact on languageacquisition and educational attainment. Almost all Deaf children will not acquiresign language under native conditions (i.e. passed on from parents to children).Exposure to sign language may not happen until the child starts school.Research has shown that many Deaf people find it difficult to acquire literacy inthe majority, spoken language of their country. One well-known study from 1979,noted an average reading age of nine years among 16 year-olds (Conrad, 1979).This finding was confirmed in a 1988 Finnish survey, which found that the readingskills of 15-year-old Deaf children corresponded to 8-year-old hearing children(Hakkarainen, 1988). Recently, an international review (Gregory, Powers andThoutenhoofd, 1998) concluded that there was no real persuasive evidence todemonstrate significant improvement in the literacy skills of Deaf young peoplesince 1979.The Milan Conference of 1880 had a significant influence on many countries,including the ones chosen for inclusion in this review. Previously, many Deafpeople had been teachers of Deaf children, instructing them through the mediumof sign language. However, after the decision of the Conference that education ofDeaf children should be carried out purely through spoken language - the policyof oralism - Deaf teachers were no longer allowed to teach. The result was thatsign language was suppressed for over a century, with the accompanying loss ofstatus for Deaf people. It was only in the late 20th century that the tide started toturn with sign language being re-introduced to schools and Deaf people resumingtheir place in the educational workforce.The official recognition of sign languagesThe countries that have been chosen for this review have all shared this historywith their respective sign languages developing despite the conditions outlinedabove. Governments have been attempting to redress the balance, starting in thepage 82 • Review of Sign Language Interpretation Services and Service Requirements in Ireland