It is practically impossible to peruse any discussion relating to psychology or philosophy without encountering frequent references to sense deprivation. These usually take the form of supposititious analogies regarding the world of the blind and the deaf, and, in many cases such analogies are entirely incorrect . It is the aim of the present work to place the aberrations from what is commonly accepted as normal mental development which accompany the loss of vision or hearing, in a more scientific and unprejudiced light than that in which they have hitherto been considered. The writer himself with vision so seriously defective as to place him well within t he scope of the common definition applied to blindness , recently became interested i n the purely psychological aspects of sense deprivation . It occurred to him that psychology as a science ought to be able to contribute toward the solution of the educational and social problems of the blind and the deaf, and he believes that the material incorporated in the following chapters is sufficient to justify this hypothesis. [...]

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After the release of Act No 108 of 1996, the status of the nine African languages of South Africa was elevated to that of English and Afrikaans and as a result, for the first time in the history of languages, South Africa became the first country in Africa to have eleven official languages. However, Sign Language for the Deaf was left out even though Section 6(4) of the South African School's Act No 84 of 1996 puts it clearly that "A recognized sign Language has the status of an official language for purposes of learning at a public school". In terms of Section 6 (5) (a) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Pan South African Language Board was also given a task to promote, and create conditions for the development and use of the Sign Language. DEAFSA (1996), states that Sign Language is the first or natural language for the Deaf. In Act No. 108 of 1996: Section 29(2) stipulates that: "Everyone has the right to receive education in the official language or languages of their choice in public educational institution where that is reasonably practicable". The first objective of this study was to investigate if the South African Sign Language (SASL) was a fully-fledged language and to find out more about the present status of this language. The second objective was to examine if South African Sign Language was taught to Parents of Deaf children from the Zulu hearing community's point of view. Marcel Jousse; a French Jesuit Anthropologist and linguist, firmly believes in the anthropology of geste, which is synonymous with the anthropology of mimicry. This theory forms the basis of language acquisition of all peoples of the world. "The oral style with its mnemotechnic devices only comes into play once the individual has been informed by a reality which he receives and replays through his mimic being as a whole, (Fanning (1995:vii). This theory best describes the manner in which signers acquire their sign language, which solely depends on gestures made in the space by hands, body movements and facial expressions. In this theory, the anthropos plays out the receptions of the universe, replays them, stores them and revivifies them in expressions that are the mimisms of the whole human compound: corporeal, ocular and auricular manual. Unfortunately, the laryngo - buccal mimism is excluded in deaf people since they cannot speak. A multi-disciplinary approach from the educational, linguistic, historical, political and cultural perspectives was employed in collecting data for this study. The samples for the study comprised deaf learners, deaf educators, and hearing educators in schools for the deaf, interpreters of sign language, senior management from the schools of Deaf learners and parents of the deaf children. The researcher discovered that very little has been done by researchers and the government of the day to assist the deaf to gain recognition in his or her community. Parents of deaf children are unable to communicate fully with their children. The study also revealed that deaf children prefer to be taught by deaf teachers because they can identify much better with them. The researcher discovered that literature for the deaf is non-existent in all spheres of their lives. Sign language per se, is not taught as a subject. Deaf learners are not allowed to take their subjects at a Higher Grade; as a result, they feel extremely marginalized by the educators. Promoting this language would improve our trade and industry, travel & tourism etc. Student exchange programmes would also enhance the development of the sign language locally, nationally and internationally. The Deaf would become multilingual in the Sign Languages of the world when they come into contact with Deaf people from other parts of the world. This would involve sport, education, politics and other activities. The deaf would be equipped to meet various challenges in life. The Deaf people need to communicate freely amongst themselves and the hearing community of our country should make an effort to learn the Sign Language so that they are able to communicate with the deaf. This would improve the socio-economic status of our country. / Thesis (Ph.D)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

This thesis sets out to undertake research into the very important topic of sign language and its usage, particularly in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Three schools are used in this study. Interviews and questionnaires were used to conduct research with teachers, students and deaf teacher assistants within this context. The analysis of this data is presented in Chapter five of this thesis.

This thesis sets out the rationale and design for a speech programme for Deaf learners to be implemented by teachers in the classroom. Theoretical and empirical research are provided to support its design. Speech teaching is set against a backdrop of current issues so that the programme is seen to take cognisance of these. To this end the disappointment and conflict which surround speech teaching and newer educational and audiological trends are described. Following this, the deviant speech of the Deaf is described. Prevocal aspects of speech production, namely aberrant repiratory functioning and deviant vocal set are described. The latter is a term coined for this research to denote psychological, functional, physical and neural changes that deleteriously affect the speech of the Deaf. Suprasegmental and segmental problems are next delineated. An argument that supports the view that vowels are less accessible to correction than consonants is proposed to explain the empahasis accorded to consonants. Hereafter, theories of speech teaching are set out to clarify their incorporation into the proposed programme. Critiques of Haycock, the Ewings, Ling and van Uden are provided. The role of computers and biofeedback is evaluated. The Whole Language Approach to mainstream education, the phonological method of speech correction, and creative techniques, speech arid drama, and singing, are described in relation to speech instruction for Deaf learners. Empirical research that investigates attitudes and needs of educators of Deaf children, with the emphasis on the class teacher, is delineated. Finally, the proposed programme is presented emphasising its potential to interrupt the current self perpetuating negative cycle. Theoretical principles are a defocus on lipreading cues to provide information on speech production, restriction of digital contact with the larynx or throat, repeated cycles of intervention at phonetic and phonological levels, and the employment of five multisensory avenues to enhance speech perception. The latter are orosensory, graphic, kinaesthetic, hand analogies and use of inanimate objects. Skills targeted for development are control of vocal organs, suprasegmental, segmental and phonological development. The fit of the proposed programme to the education paradigm in terms of learner, teacher and school system is described. The thesis concludes with an evaluation of the programme and recommendations for future research. / Thesis (DPhil (Communication Pathology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / unrestricted

Prepositions are not only important in functional syntax; they also relate meanings associated with the concepts of place and time (Washington & Naremore, 1978). Furthermore, prepositions are critical in such everyday activities as producing and comprehending directions, using maps and diagrams, and in the fields of mathematics and music (Cox & Richardson, 1985). Inefficient use or misuse of prepositional spatial terms may hinder a child's progress in many areas. Expressive acquisition of function words, which include prepositions, has been described as significantly delayed in the hearing impaired populations (Cooper & Rosenstein, 1966). The purpose of this study was to conduct a comparative preposition analysis between hearing impaired children using two different modes of communication. The question this researcher sought to answer was: Do 54 severely-to-profoundly hearing impaired children in this study using total communication differ in the expressive acquisition of 17 locative and directional prepositions from 35 hearing impaired children in a previous study (Warlick, 1983) using oral/aural communication?

For over a quarter of a century a difference of opinion has existed regarding the relative value of auditory training in the education of the deaf child. The opponents have insisted that in most deaf children there is little or no residual hearing on which to use acoustic stimulation. The proponents have insisted that there are extremely few deaf children who do not have some residual hearing which could be stimulated to promote better speech, to increase speech perception, and to advance better mental health. The purpose of this study has been (1) to investigate (a) the development of speech perception by the use of acoustic stimulation in schools for the deaf, and (b) the general tendency toward the use of the acoustic method in the schools for the deaf; and, (2) to determine whether or not auditory training has a definite place as an educational tool in the education of deaf children.

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No description available.

M. S.