Beyond the Sound Barrier

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Only a minority of institutions practice pure oralism anymore; but a babel of challenges to ASL remain. Mainstreaming, the widespread and generally salutary policy of removing students with disabilities from special schools and seeding them through regular classes, may be counterproductive for the deaf. They cannot be expected simply to "pick up" English from their new classmates; and yet removing them from an all-deaf environment may prevent them from picking up ASL. Northeastern's Lane talks grimly of their "drowning in the mainstream." Total communication, which asked teachers to sign ASL and speak English simultaneously, although once popular, seems in decline. Cued speech, essentially lipreading enhanced with explanatory gestures, has a small group of enthusiastic backers. Even Bienvenu champions "bilingual- bicultural" education (Bi-Bi), which uses signing as a foundation toward "English as a second language."

In Manhattan's Plaza Hotel, between TV appearances and clothes-shopping expeditions, Whitestone receives a guest. Dressed in a T shirt and a polka-dot vest and pants, she is an enthusiastic and fluent conversation partner. She readily acknowledges not being part of Deaf culture -- "I don't know it very well. I have seen it" -- and tends to refer even to small d deaf as "them."

Indeed, linguistic politics interest her far less than her own, very mainstream motivational program, called STARS because it has five points ("positive attitude," "a dream," "hard work," "knowing your problems but not letting them master you" and "a support team"). The system has already been introduced in a Birmingham-area school. In fact, the acounting major is currently considering a career change: "Maybe I'll be a math teacher or a counselor, so that I could see young people every day."

Does she want to apply her philosophy to deaf young people or hearing young people? It is Whitestone's strength, but also, perhaps, her weakness, that she feels the same approach should apply equally well to both.