A comprehensive history of deafness, signed languages, and the unresolved struggles of the Deaf to be taught in their unspoken tongue Partially deaf due to a childhood illness, Gerald Shea is no stranger to the search for communicative grace and clarity. In this eloquent and thoroughly researched book, he uncovers the centuries-long struggle of the Deaf to be taught in sign language—the only language that renders them complete, fully communicative human beings. Shea ex...

A "fascinating memoir" of living with partial deafness that offers new insight into the nature of language ( Booklist).Much has been written about the profoundly deaf, but the lives of the nearly thirty million partially deaf people in the United States today remain hidden. Song without Words tells the astonishing story of a man who, at the age of thirty-four, discovered that he had been unable to hear higher ranges of speech since a bout of scarle...

The Unmaking of Man is a series of four essays by Dr Simon Duffy exploring the lessons of the Holocaust for people with disabilities. Few people know that people with disabilities not only made up a large number of the victims of the Holocaust but they were the first victims, marked out for destruction at a very early stage. Doctors argued that people with disabilities lived lives not worth living and lobbied Hitler to start a programme of euthanasia. The technologies and approac...

New York Times bestselling author and renowned linguist, John McWhorter, explores the complicated and fascinating world of languages. From Standard English to Black English; obscure tongues only spoken by a few thousand people in the world to the big ones like Mandarin - What Language Is celebrates the history and curiosities of languages around the world and smashes our assumptions about "correct" grammar.An eye-opening tour for all language love...

"A multilayered, utterly gripping account of life among the developing world's blind population." — New York TimesRosemary Mahoney tells the story of Braille Without Borders, the first school for the blind in Tibet, and of Sabriye Tenberken, the remarkable blind woman who founded the school. Fascinated and impressed by what she learned from the blind children of Tibet, Mahoney was moved to investigate further the cultural history of blindn...

Over the last forty years, the field of disability studies has emerged from the political activism of disabled people. In this challenging review of the field, leading disability academic and activist Tom Shakespeare argues that disability research needs a firmer conceptual and empirical footing.This new edition is updated throughout, reflecting Shakespeare’s most recent thinking, drawing on current research, and responding to controversies surrounding the first edition and the

Rebecca loves her younger brother Joel, but sometimes she finds it hard to look after him – Joel has Down’s syndrome. One day, when Rebecca and Joel discover a ring of toadstools used by elves, they find themselves transported into a magical world in which Joel is the hero. Soon Rebecca discovers that her brother possesses very special qualities that she had not noticed before… Eons ago when the world was newborn, When the sun came up on the very first dawn, When the flowers and trees were...

Human language is not the same as human speech. We use gestures and signs to communicate alongside, or instead of, speaking. Yet gestures and speech are processed in the same areas of the human brain, and the study of how both have evolved is central to research on the origins of human communication. Written by one of the pioneers of the field, this is the first book to explain how speech and gesture evolved together into a system that all humans possess. Nearly all theorizing about the or...

The Tarahumara, one of North America’s oldest surviving aboriginal groups, call themselves Rarámuri, meaning “nimble feet”—and though they live in relative isolation in Chihuahua, Mexico, their agility in long-distance running is famous worldwide. Tarahumara Medicine is the first in-depth look into the culture that sustains the “great runners.” Having spent a decade in Tarahumara communities, initially as a medical student and eventually as a physician and cultural observer, autho...

A series of simple books that answers all your questions about the fascinating ancient Chinese characters from their correct Stroke sequences to proper Mandarin pronunciations, all with the help of their most desirable stories told accurately in the first ever colour-coded illustrations that will guarantee to make your learning and memorizing them most effective, fun, and intellectually satisfying.This is the 1st volume (covering the 1st 100 most frequently used Chinese characters) ...

"An excellent tool for case managers, discharge planners and other professionals involved with providing senior services who are having to explain home modifications" Monica N. Case manager. Making the transition from a care facility to home can mean sudden changes are needed in the home to allow continued independence. Having an aging parent move into the home can also require modifications in the environment. Making the Transition to Home is a compilation of the most common questions ask...

During the last few decades we have discovered enormous amounts about our genomes, their evolution and, importantly for linguists and language scientists, the genetic foundations of language and speech. Accessible and readable, this introduction is designed specifically for students and researchers working in language and linguistics. It carefully focuses on the most relevant concepts, methods and findings in the genetics of language and speech, and covers a wide range of topics such as he...