Critics say the oral method undermines the community's cultural identity because the rich heritage of ASL, including its unique literature, is an integral part of the deaf culture. And because the vast majority of people are able to hear, she contends that deaf children need to learn how to communicate clearly and naturally in the hearing world in order to compete and succeed in that world. Families travel from as far as New Hampshire to take part in Clarke's programs. The parent-infant program has attracted families from Canton and Plymouth, with others from south suburban communities expressing an interest. It involves individualized hour-long work with families.
Children follow a regular curriculum each weekday customized to their individual needs.
Each starts the day at 9 a.m. with a check of his or her hearing aid or implant, and concludes the session at 1 p.m. with another check. All eight staff members hold master's degrees in education of the deaf. Jordan was asked how students, all of whom are severely to profoundly deaf, can listen and speak. Digital hearing aids, which amplify sound, have become increasingly sensitive, and cochlear implants, a surgical procedure in which an electrode is implanted directly into the cochlea, the spiral-shaped part of the inner ear, are becoming more commonplace. Eight of the 10 children enrolled in Clarke's pre-school and kindergarten program have such implants, Jordan said.