Originally Posted by jillio

And both have suffered through the majority's attempts to strip them of their language. Young Indian children were punished severely for using their native language in schools, and young deaf children were punished severely for using their native language in schools. Both were subjected to the belief that they were savages incapable of moral reasoning, and the only way to "save" them was to force them to use the language of the majority. There are many parallels between the way the Native Americans have been treated and the way the Deaf have been treated. Doesn't say much for the tolerance of Americans.