During the first half of the 18th century, education for the deaf centered on manualism. This included sign language, where each word is assigned a specific gesture. Many are very naturalistic, such as a peeling motion for “banana.” Fingerspelling was part of the curriculum. Each letter has a different hand formation, which can be combined to spell words. In addition, students learned to read and write English. Manualism was limited because deaf people were only able to communicate with non-deaf individuals through writing, unless they knew sign language or fingerspelling.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some educators proposed that deaf children shouldn't be taught any sign language. The oral approach, or oralism, focuses on deaf people communicating with hearing individuals. These students learn speech reading, a combination of reading lips, facial expressions and body language, as well as spoken language. Deaf people with some hearing remaining use hearing aids. The amount of residual hearing greatly affects how far deaf students are able to progress in speech reading and speaking.
The latter half of the 20th century saw the development of Total Communication. This system includes many forms of communication so deaf students can interact with a variety of people. Students learn many communication tools, such as American Sign Language, the common language of the deaf community. They also study Signing Exact English and other English-based communication systems, which are often used in schools. Speech, speech reading, expressions, gestures and mime are also part of TC. The different methods are not taught simultaneously, nor are they all used in conjunction with one another. TC gives the student an opportunity to choose what communication format works best in a given situation.
Each form of communication, oralism and TC, has positive and negative points. Through the years, oralism has become easier through technological development, including hearing aids and cochlear implants. It takes years to become proficient with oral communication. Although this system does make it easier to communicate with hearing people, it became controversial in the last few decades of the 20th century. Oralism is not a practical form of communication among deaf individuals, and the Civil Rights Movement lead the deaf community to use its own language, American Sign Language. ASL is not the same as English; it has its own grammar. Because of the many communication styles students learn, TC can make interacting with others less frustrating. However, because of the sheer number of methods, students may get limited exposure to each. Therefore, they may not learn advanced English or American Sign Language.