For many years, American Sign Language (ASL) was banned in schools across the United States. Most teachers, doctors, and officials did not understand how important visual language is for Deaf children. In the 1880s, schools stopped using sign language and forced Deaf children to speak, read, and write English like hearing people. They believed signing would prevent Deaf children from learning English and treated Deafness as a “problem” to be fixed. Because students were only taught through spoken and written English, they did not get enough accessible language input. Many Deaf children experienced delayed language development, weaker thinking skills, and poor school performance. These challenges often continued into adulthood. For most of U.S. history, people wrongly believed ASL was just a set of random gestures used by Deaf people who “failed” to learn English. It was not until 1960 that researchers proved ASL is a complete language with its own grammar, equal to any spoken language. After that, more schools began including ASL in their teaching approaches. Progress has been slow. New technologies like cochlear implants and advanced hearing aids led many hearing parents to continue focusing on speech. In many places, spoken English remained the priority. However, research clearly supports ASL. The more fluent a child becomes in ASL, the better they can learn, think, and eventually learn English. Experts say that if a child does not receive an accessible language before age four, they may never become fully fluent in any language. ASL gives Deaf children the strong language foundation they need. Deaf culture, identity, and values are also essential for healthy development and learning.

An elderly Deaf man in Australia died in a hospital after doctors gave him the wrong sedative. He was not diagnosed correctly, and hospital staff failed to communicate with him or his wife. His family had asked for an Australian Sign Language (Auslan) interpreter, but the hospital never called one. Because of that, the man and his wife were not included in decisions about his care. The man, Mr. Drabsch, was 92 years old. His wife found him on the floor at home and called an ambulance. At the hospital, doctors thought he had a stroke, but a scan showed he did not. They gave him medicine that was too strong for his age and health, which caused his breathing to stop. When his daughter arrived, the hospital staff asked her to tell her mother that he had died. Even then, no interpreter was provided. Later, the hospital admitted that his death was “avoidable” and apologized to the family. It has promised to change its policies to prevent this from happening again. The Deaf community in Australia is deeply upset. Many Deaf people say they have faced similar experiences - no interpreters in hospitals, no access to information, and no chance to be part of their own care decisions. A review found that some hospital staff did not even know how to request an interpreter. Deaf groups say this shows a national problem: a serious lack of Deaf awareness in healthcare. The World Federation of the Deaf says that equal treatment means getting information in your own sign language.