CHAPTER 26

"Why don't some Deaf people like to read?"

ASL has no traditional written form, and it is considered more important for deaf children to learn good speech before they learn good reading and writing skills. So the main focus is for children to learn speech first. Many hearing people have misconceptions about deaf people and reading, but these are  not necessarily true. Many say that they should love reading for some sort on enjoyment and some believe that deaf people are not as intelligent as a hearing person. I believe that deaf people could have these ssame misconceptions about hearing people because ASL is a challenging language to learn. If ASL had a written form people would have to learn how to read and understand it just as a person has to learn to read English. In Chapter 26 the author states, "Oralists commonly blame ASL for Deaf people's poor reading and writing skills". I believe that learning any language that is not native to your own is tough and takes time to become "fluent".