Never the Twain Shall Meet: Bell, Gallaudet, and the Communications Debate

Having just entered this world of deaf and Hard of Hearing, this book was especially insightful. It presents the argument that the same polarization that faced both Alexander Bell and Edward Gallaudet are still with us today. I never knew much about either of these productive individuals, but what Winefiled provides in this work is substantial. The parallels of their upbringing and the differences are chronicled in easy-to-read text. Winefield is able remarkably to remain aloof from adding his own view and let's these two giants of the debate speak with their lives and their opinions. Integration in the hearing world versus full individual potential are laid out, leading up to and beyond confrontation between these two innovators of educating deaf children. The oralist versus the combined method continue to be debated and tested. One salient point brought out in this fine work is that the attitudes and expectations of each individual will determine his response to this debate. A fine work to aid in beginning to understand the complexities of this yet resolved historical communications issue.

Whether you believe education should be ASL only, oral only, SEE, total communication, simultaneous communication, or any derivitive, this book will provide for you a very in-depth and interesting history of Galluadet and Bell and their philosophies.It seems clear that the author has his personal opinions (as anyone in the field would), but he certainly doesn't force them, or even mention them, to the readers. Presented in a fair and unbiased format, this book tells of the history of the leaders in deaf education at that time and then explains their personal beliefs and presumptions of oralism or manual learning.This book will get your blood boiling at times, as you read about the thinking of people whose opinion differs from yours, but you'll walk away a more knowledgeable and insightful person. Relatively easy to read (I read it in two days), it also features a few photographs and illustrations of the founders of deaf education in the United States.A good book for anyone interested in the history, but a must-read for educators. That's just this deafie's opinion. :o)