The message is what's important. What you say is much more important than how you say it. I watched Heather Whitestone when she first won Miss America discussing the issues she had with certain people suggesting that she shouldn't speak in public. I, again, can only tell you what my position has been. I believe it is completely an individual's choice.
People have to communicate in a way that they feel most comfortable.
There are people like me who can switch around, and if I'm in a group of just deaf people then I often find that my voice will turn itself off without my thinking of it. I will be signing with people and all of the sudden I will realize that I'm not talking, I'm just signing. Other times I'm making a formal presentation to a mixed audience, and I'm very careful to try and sign clearly and also speak clearly. It's just the way I communicate. Heather Whitestone should be permitted to communicate in a way that she feels comfortable.