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PART I

POSITION OF THE DEAF IN SOCIETY

CHAPTER

I. THE DEAF IN THE UNITED STATES 3

Meaning of Term "Deaf" in the Present Study--Number of
the Deaf in the United States--Age when Deafness
Occurred--Ability of the Deaf to Speak--Means of
Communication Employed by the Deaf.

II. THE DEAF AS A PERMANENT ELEMENT OF THE POPULATION 13

Increase in the Number of the Deaf in Relation to the
Increase in the General Population--The Adventitiously
Deaf and the Congenitally Deaf--Adventitious Deafness
and its Causes--Possible Action for the Prevention of
Adventitious Deafness--Adventitious Deafness as an
Increasing or Decreasing Phenomenon--The Congenitally
Deaf--The Offspring of Consanguineous Marriages--The
Deaf Having Deaf Relatives--The Offspring of Deaf
Parents--Possible Action for the Prevention of
Congenital Deafness--Congenital Deafness as an
Increasing or Decreasing Phenomenon--Conclusions with
Respect to the Elimination or Prevention of Deafness.

III. TREATMENT OF THE DEAF BY THE STATE 63

General Attitude of the Law towards the Deaf--Legislation
Discriminatory respecting the Deaf--Legislation in
Protection of the Deaf--Legislation in Aid of the
Deaf--Tenor of Court Decisions Affecting the Deaf--Present
Trend of the Law in Respect to the Deaf.

IV. ECONOMIC CONDITION OF THE DEAF 75

The Extent to which the Deaf are a Wage-earning and
Self-supporting Element of the Population--Views of the
Deaf as to their Economic Standing--The Deaf as
Alms-seekers--Homes for the Deaf--Conclusions with
Respect to the Economic Position of the Deaf.

V. SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE DEAF 91

Social Cleavage from the General Population--Desirability
of Organizations Composed of the Deaf--Purposes,
Activities, and Extent of Such Organizations--Newspapers
of the Deaf.

VI. POPULAR CONCEPTIONS CONCERNING THE DEAF 99

Viewed as a Strange Class--Viewed as a Defective
Class--Viewed as an Unhappy Class--Viewed as a
Dependent Class--Need of a Changed Regard for the Deaf.

VII. PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS INTERESTED IN THE DEAF