Milan 1880
Milan 1880 is an infamous historical mark for "slashing" sign language. It was the biased, pre-planned conference, International Congress on Education of the Deaf in Milan, where oralist proponents voted to ban sign language. They declared that oral education was a better educational method than manual education. At that time, sign language was seen as a untrue language, a poor substitute of speech language. A resolution was passed that sign language was to be forbidden. The delegates of the U.S. and Britain were the only representatives against the ban of sign language but their objection to the ban was neglected. Eventualy, it had an enormous impact on the lives and an education of sign language users.
Prior to the year 1880, there were successful Deaf politicians, writers, artists, lawyers, educators, and so on. After the conference in 1880, things began to dramatically change. Sign language was removed in Deaf education. Oral method was practiced in Deaf education. Successful Deaf professionals began to decline. The quality of education and life for the deaf deteriorated quickly and sign language was regarded as a shame.
At a low point in the history of Deaf education in the early 1900s, things began to change a bit. Sign language was re-introduced into Deaf education to "support" speech, as an oral method was realized as a form of failure. Deaf education once again had been improved a bit. The embrace of sign language began to rise in the 1970s when William Stokoe proclaimed that sign language is a true language in his research on ASL at Gallaudet College (presently Gallaudet University). The rights movement and Deaf activists rose in the 1980s for the human rights and language rights. Today deaf sign-language users enjoy lives with full accessibility to education. Today Milan 1880 is remembered as a bitter symbol of the oppression of sign language.
Resources
Nick Sturley of U.K. maintains a wonderful website on Milan 1880 at www.milan1880.com.