Imagine a world where ASL is the primary language. Hearing and Deaf people could communicate to each other with ease. There wouldn't be any communication barriers. No more feeling frustrated or isolated.Home Sweet Home! Well, guess what? There used to be such a place and it is not in Kansas (referring to Wizard of Oz).
The name of that place is Martha's Vineyard, a island of about 100 sq. miles, south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. But it only lasted for a mere 200 years from 1700s to 1900s. "Jonathan Lambert was the first documented deaf individual mentioned on Martha’s Vineyard (“Martha’s Vineyard" in 1714 (
Link 1). Back in time, the odds of a Deaf individual being born in the USA was about 1 in 6000 while "it was as high as 1 in 155 (1 in 25 in Chilmark, and 1 in 4 in the Chilmark town of Squibnocket)" (
Link 1). Pretty neat huh? Unfortunately, nothing last forever in this world. "The last deaf person born into the island's sign language tradition, Katie West, died in 1952 (
Link 2).
You may wonder what caused the end of Martha's Vineyard? Well, you may find this ironic, amusing, or disgusting. The primary reason is because of the first Deaf school being established in 1817 in Hartford, Connecticut called the American School for the Deaf (ASD). Many of the Deaf children from Martha's Vineyard were sent to ASD to get an education and most of them chose to stay on the USA's mainland instead of coming back home to Marth'a Vineyard. Was that a mistake? Maybe yes. Maybe no. But then what would have happened if the Deaf children didn't go to school? Would there be ASL? Would there be any Deaf culture or pride? That is something for everyone to think about. :)
Now, we are living in the 21st century... I want to ask you.
Where is the next Martha's Vineyard now? If not, will there be another one someday?
