ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the existing studies and criticisms of oralism and its historical effects by focusing specifically on Britain. It reveals a deeply fought contest for the identities and lives of deaf children which, from a national perspective, did not simply lead to an instant shift from manualism to oralism. The Milan Congress raised the profile of oralism in the UK, though Oralism received widespread recognition as a valid educational practice and this encouraged rejection of sign language. From 1879 the London School Board (LSB) was one of few school boards to deal specifically with deaf children to provide a full education. The chapter will then focus on the Cambrian Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, the first and largest deaf institution in Wales. The first national conference of Adult Deaf and Dumb Missions and Associations was held in 1890 and spawned an organization, the British Deaf and Dumb Association.
