Illusions of Equality

Focusing on the historical struggle of Deaf Americans from the mid-1850s to post-World War II, the book reveals how efforts to assimilate into the workforce were undermined by the rise of oralism, which prioritized speech over sign language. Robert Buchanan illustrates the detrimental impact of this shift, as many deaf students graduated with inadequate education and limited job prospects. He also examines the Deaf community's male hierarchy and its emphasis on individual responsibility, which ultimately failed to secure stable employment for deaf workers.