Beyond Silence
This Oscar-nominated film shows Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. near its 100th year as the only school of higher learning for the deaf and extreme hard of hearing.
This Oscar-nominated film shows Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. near its 100th year as the only school of higher learning for the deaf and extreme hard of hearing.
Four hundred international students attend this unique college. At the time, it was the only one in the world exclusively for the deaf. Gallaudet College uses lip and sign language techniques to first prepare their students for advanced learning then to offer a standard curriculum for BA and BSc degrees. It has an hearing and speech centre where each person is encouraged to try to enunciate the simplest of sounds so that they may eventually try to formulate their own words but it's no mean task. Otherwise, things are kept as regular as possible with studying, recreation and examinations just as taxing as for anyone else! It's not just education in a traditional sense that's offered, but also some training to try and better prepare them for the employment world when they leave. The teaching is patient and the teachers dedicated to trying to improve, whilst also ensuring that there isn't such a thing as failure for these kids either. The narration is all a bit dry, but there's some mischief in the soundtrack as the students remember that they are young too!