Options for Deaf Communication

Gallaudet University reports that two to four out of every 1,000 people are "functionally deaf." Deaf people need to communicate with other deaf people and with hearing people and have many ways of doing that. The best deaf communication method for an individual depends on many factors, including whether or not they have any residual hearing, whether or not their family and friends sign, whether or not they go to a hearing school or a deaf school, their own learning style and their personal preferences.

American Sign Language

• According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, American Sign Language (ASL) is the fourth most commonly used language in the United States. It involves hand movements, other body movements, postures and facial expressions. ASL differs from spoken and written English. It has its own grammar and other rules. It also differs from the sign language used in other parts of the world, like British Sign Language (BSL). Many deaf people prefer to use ASL, at least when communicating with one another.

Signed English

• Another form of sign language, signed English, uses many of the signs commonly used in ASL but follows English word order and grammar rules. Because signed English uses typical English sentence structure, signers can easily speak while signing and children that learn signed English find it easier to learn to read and write English. Hearing schools that mainstream deaf children often prefer to use signed English.

Cued Speech

• Cued speech involves the use of hand signs that stand for different sounds. Unlike ASL or signed English, the signs do not stand for different words or concepts, but phonetic sounds. Some people use cued speech in conjunction with the auditory-oral method of communication for the deaf. The website Raising Deaf Kids reports that cued speech is not frequently used in the U.S. today.

Auditory-Oral Method

• The auditory-oral method teaches deaf people to use any residual hearing they may have to read lips and to speak. Some people favor this method of communication for the deaf because it allows deaf people to interact more easily with hearing people and allows deaf children to be mainstreamed into regular schools more easily.

Total Communication

• Total communication utilizes a combination of communication methods. Deaf people learn to sign, speak and read lips as much as they can. They receive some of the benefits of both methods of communication but may not become very fluent in either.