The adoption of a resolution promoting oralism at the Milan Conference in Italy influenced educational policies in Deaf schools around the world. To hinder the use of sign language, students were instructed to listen to lessons keeping their arms crossed.

The encouragement of oral education meant at the same time the prohibition of the use of sign language, and there were occasions in school when hands were tied. At playgrounds, children were sometimes instructed to hold hands with each other.
(around 1967, Okayama Deaf School Kindergarden)

A scene from a school for the deaf during the era of oral language education. The students practiced to stabilize the position of the tongue by imitating the shape of the mouth while looking in the mirror.

The mouth shape of “a” “i” “u” “e” “o”. Some people were able to pronounce the sounds to a certain degree, but it was very difficult and required a great deal of effort, and it was not for everyone.

Language bans at school are not uncommon throughout history. In France and Japan, speaking dialects were prohibited in favor of the standard variety, and in Wales, England, Welsh was banned in favor of English. The use of sign language was prohibited at schools for the deaf in favor of oral education. This meant the elimination of the only place for most deaf children to acquire a sign language, and that the deaf children would loose opportunities to develop their language foundation.

Total communication is the concept of maximizing the effectiveness of communication of people with hearing disabilities by using a combination of methods that are best suited to the environment, topic, and hearing conditions. To achieve this, all of the following preparations are necessary, and the word “total” is used in this sense.

● Auditory skills to make the best use of the remaining hearing ability
● oral method
● Sign language and finger writing
● Cued speech, which combines oral speech and hand signals
● Written communication, blank writing, etc.

It is now known that language skills can be improved by using sign language from primary education. Institutions of higher education, such as Gallaudet University in the U.S., where education and research can be conducted in sign language, attract researchers from all over the world, deaf and hearing alike.Sign languages are now being actively incorporated into research subjects in the field of linguistics.