Just wanted to say that oralism is absolutely NOT dead. I hope it is disappearing there in the USA, because it would mean it's going to be "out of fashion" here too in the next years...:roll: (you know Italy does what America does, good or bad). But here in Italy, hospitals that dx deaf kids ALWAYS recommend oralism, and speech therapist from public system inside the hospital are ALWAYS oralists. Especially when it comes to CI kids! Shushugah, are you born deaf? How were you educated? Sing language ....?
I know kids that were tied in a high chair to do speech therapy, the therapist repeating sounds with her mouth covered... tongue depressor to learn to pronounce sounds (you should still find some interesting videos on youtube, try "logopedia"). Hours of that, starting very very young, too. Kids that have 2 hours a day of speech therapy at home, by their mother. All mainstreamed, of course...
If that's not oppression, I don't know what it is... And yes, many deaf adults say that's right, because they were grown up the same way and they're happy. Strange coincidence, abused children often say exactly the same thing when they grow up...
I'm all with Berry about spreading Deaf culture inside the hearing one. But that would mean to let go many things for the Deafies too, and I see it's hard for many of them to do so. But time will help, I hope!
And of course, the most effective political act we can do, is be consistent in the way we grow up our children, They are the future. We have to set good exapmles for them, and trust them that they will do right. My hearing child is already signing, and my husband (hearing) often signs with EVERYONE while talking. We are learning so much from Deaf Community and I think the best thing to do is to share, share, share. Not all Deaf people like us, though.
Definitely my child in that picture, she and Sheila have a way with dinosaurs 
-- that was a wonderful visit to the Museum of Science to be guinea pigs for the developers of a new ASL science dictionary.
