Steven Thomas Hardy, M.A., Gallaudet University, Washington, D. C.
Lev Semenovich Vygotsky's acceptance of Russian Sign Language as a natural means of communication and instrument of thought for people who are deaf, as well as his emphasis upon the social consequences of having a disability instead of the disability itself, have germane lessons for society's perceptions of people who are deaf. Vygotsky based his work upon a historical-cultural developmental theory of higher psychological functions and acknowledgement of the role of different semiotical systems in human maturation as a person in society. These perspectives shall be used to examine various current issues in the socialization and education of individuals who are deaf. Included shall be a discussion of the current bilingual programs in various schools for the deaf in the United States of America and the Moscow Bilingual School for the Deaf as established by Dr. Galina Zaitseva.
The connection to an adoption of a holistic wellness centered model of individuals who are deaf as put forth by Dr. Alan Sussman of Gallaudet University is presented and discussed.
Vygotsky's work in defectology was continued by Ivan Sokolianskii and Alexander Meshcheriakov in their work with students who are both deaf and blind. Their work and it's relationship to Vygotskian theories shall be examined....
"For a blind or deaf child, blindness or deafness represent normality, not a condition of illness. He senses the handicap in question only indirectly or secondarily, as a result of his social experiences. What then does a hearing loss mean, in and of itself? It must be accepted that blindness and deafness indicate nothing other than the mere absence of one means of forming conditional links with the environment." -- Lev Semenovich Vygotsky (1925)
"Deaf people can do anything but hear" -- I. King Jordan (1989), Gallaudet University's first president who is deaf.
Lev Semenovich Vygotsky (1896-1934) is becoming widely known for his psycholinguistic work and theories regarding the relationship between thought and language (or perhaps better stated as the activities of thinking and speaking). He is not currently widely known (at least in the United States of America) for his work with people with disabilities. There are only a few publications which directly address Vygotsky's work and its application to the education of students who are deaf. (Segal, 1982; Arnold, 1985; White 1987; Knox, 1989; Knox & Kozulin, 1989; Bonkowski et. al., 1991; Hayes et. al., 1991; Zaietseva, 1992; Evans, 1993; Jamieson, 1994) It has also been far too long since a large scale joint effort between the United States of America and Russia on the instruction of students with special needs. (Gallagher, 1972) However, I strongly contend that Vygotsky's theoretical work with people with disabilities can provide great insights to many of the contemporary issues facing society and people/professionals that work with these diverse populations. I look forward to entering into a dialogue with you today regarding some of his insights as well as your own....
[The full article is available at <http://psych.hanover.edu/vygotsky/hardy.html>.] -- Yoshie
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