The deaf kid acquires spoken communication abilities in the same way that any other child does: through the hearing. To develop spoken language, this technique focuses on auditory training and the use of hearing aids. Lip reading is also employed, but signs are not permitted—that is, signing is prohibited. Special schools for the deaf were first established in Europe during the 18th century. They were intended to isolate deaf students so they could acquire the skills necessary for life in a hearing world. These days, however, many deaf people choose to remain in their own community by going to school with only deaf peers. They enjoy the social interaction without having to worry about hearing others talk. Some may even prefer this environment over regular school because it allows them to communicate more easily with those who are visually impaired or have some other form of intellectual disability. There are two types of special schools for the deaf: oral schools and oral-communication schools. At an oral school for the deaf, students learn how to speak, read lips, and understand speech solely from hearing people using American Sign Language (ASL). An oral-communication school is like any other high school where students learn how to write, read print, and interact with people who can hear and see them. Students at both an oral school and oral-communication school will study English as a second language.