The first post of a deaf history site visited in the summer of 1992.
This short, edited, and subtitled video of a visit to Samuel Heinicke Schule in Liepzig, Germany where the German oralism began. The school was in its summer session but I was able to bump into a teacher there who was happy to give me a tour of the school. Next video will be the gravesite of Samuel Heinicke.
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8 comments:
Very interesting glimmer into the past.
Very interesting!
Do they use German Sign Language now?
Hi there,
I have never realized it is still exist! Thanks so much for sharing it with us all to learn more about our history. I look forward to watching your next vlog about Samuel Heinicke's place.
I just wonder if you know anything about Braidwood (British oral program founder) and its place(s).
Thanks
Deafchip
Deb Ann, I believe the students in the school do use GSL. As you can see in the video, the music teacher gestured. I have no idea if the Heinicke school currently officially use GSL in their classroom as a mode of instruction. Historically and even today, students in oral school do use sign language, however ranging from few home signs or gestures to full-fledged sign language. Samuel Heinicke even tried to use visual cues (fingerspelling, images, and gestures) to teach speech.
David, yes, I do know about the Braidwoods from my research. Google Braidwood and you ll find there are Braidwood School for the Deaf in England, still! However, I never visited those schools. Someday I will post an interview with David Hay, A Scottish deaf historian, about the Braidwoods here.
It was my deep pleasure knowing other deaf people appreciate viewing clips about sacred deaf sites. Thank you.
This is a great documentary. I am really appreciate the time you are investing in those videos you created over ten years ago. Even I can see how you are signing different now. Your hair, too! :)
Thanks for sharing this video--so rich!
Julie Rems-Smario
Charles,
That is great to know you will post your interview with David Hay. I look forward to it. Yes all schools for the Deaf (oral or sign) are valuable to us. They are part of our history through bad and good times.
Deafchip
I remember visiting a Samuel Heinicke School in Hamburg back in 1987. The building was more modern, and of course it was also oral, at least for the most part. They had one deaf staff member, his position was "sozialtherape" (I'm guessing social therapy). He explained to me that he would work with students who were frustrated in the oral classes at the school. He also explained that the school at the time had an "open policy" meaning that the teachers in each classroom could use whatever communication method they chose. In the class I watched, which was elementary (couldn't place the grade, somewhere between K to 3rd or 4th), the teachers, two hearing women, used German Sign Language with voice. One other person in my group attended another class and said they used the oral approach, speaking into microphones, and the teacher told the class that deaf Americans only used sign language, which this person tried to correct by saying we do talk and sign, but the teacher wouldn't listen. I also saw stickers around the place and in a deaf school in Bremen that said, in German, "Only oral in deaf school? NO THANKS" So even though they were very oral, they did have some movement already going to get sign language used in the schools. The deaf staff at the Hamburg school said he wanted to fight to get the school to adopt a sign language policy for the whole school. Don't know what has happened there since then. At least some hearing teachers did support the sign language method back then.
Dear Mr. Katz,
Thank you so much for all of your fascinating vlogs!!! I am an ITP instructor and have used your clips in many different classes for student learning. Aside from your historical posts here and your fantastic 1001 ASL book, do you have nay other resources I could tap into? Thank so much!
~Valerie B
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