Language They Speak, The (1960s)

[Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Harriet Herman age 19 a student for whom each morning is brightness alive with the intensity of the young alive to the sights and feelings of each new day reaching out to touch and be touched by a world she cannot hear studying and working and living surrounded by mystery the tones and inflections of the human voice voice The rhythms and Melodies of Music are all unknown for Harriet Herman is totally [Music] [Music] death they David maon aged 20 has another problem insufficient sleep a fact unrelated to his deafness he simply enjoy [Music] sleeping living in a world without sound words thoughts feelings are traced in the air expressed by mute lips that never utter a word [Music] the world of the de is a world of barriers silence separating one man from his brother yet these barriers these walls are overcome the challenge of silence is vanquished vanquished by the mind the spirit and the courage of those who are not easily defeated [Music] [Applause] [Music] there is a turning point in the life of each deaf person some turn inward upon themselves seeking shelter protection behind barriers of Silence others like Harriet and David take the other Road they turn their faces to the world and simply live [Music] aptitude testing reveals the unique intensity of their minds unable to hear other abilities are sharpened enabling the deaf to keep up with the students in their class reading the same books completing the same corre [Music] from childhood the deaf learn to communicate without the spoken words printed letters are mere symbols without the rhythms of speech to add or alter meanings imagination give symbols their meaning to the trained eye hand and mind imagination adds tones and feelings to the mutely moving [Music] lips there is a limitless number of symbols that can be transformed into an idea a feeling of mood creating an entire world of meaning for those who understand the symbolic language obviously the deaf are not handicapped for learning one more symbolic language the language of computers at The Institute of computer management a division of Len Industries the extraordinary capacities of the deaf and the unique needs of computers have been brought together for a computer can function no more effectively than the Mind using it before it can yield answers a computer must be programmed it must be asked questions in a symbolic language that enables it to process this information and formulate a reply a programmer converts abstract equations ideas and data into this symbolic computer language electronic data processing has become a more revolutionary Force than atomic energy there is no limit to the information that can be symbolically represented or stored on Magnetic Tape or data processing cards computers are a powerful new tool expanding the ultimate dimensions of the human mind allowing us to compute and analyze vast quantities of information in billions of a second industry government education have all become dependent on the computer and it is now apparent that the current shortage of programmers is growing as existing schools are unable to fill this [Music] need comparing the performance of De and hearing students during the 10-month course is made possible by counseling by representatives of the state Vocational Rehabilitation [Music] Bureau the simplest manual computations are now performed electronically there is no limit to possible industrial applications from the Simplicity of inventory control to the complexity of space research as critical as the population explosion the information explosion is outracing techniques for storing and evaluating a massive accumulation of data the computer enables our society to utilize this ever expanding knowledge taking this vast quantity of information from the laboratory and the library shelf bringing it into the Practical world of industry and commerce where new ideas New Concepts can be put to work but whether the task to be performed is simple or complex a programmer is the vital key to the entire operation [Music] [Music] a de person and the computer programmer both create the language they speak as they are speaking it both deal in educated guesswork working primarily in key words and phrases using their imagination and intuition to solve problems without a fixed system of rules for often a problem demands that the rule book be discarded to this new profession the DEA bring experience and capacities which make them extraordinarily qualified for these [Music] tasks the key to this new world has been made available to a group of young people who for the first time can look forward to productive professional [Music] careers their special capacities are now being utilized and with this recognition comes a new dignity that enriches not only their lives but also makes a positive contribution to the well-being of our nation isolation loneliness and silence have too often in the past been the only Heritage of the handicapped whose capacities were underestimated it all that was required was the opportunity to move ahead to demonstrate their ability to contribute to the complex World in which we live [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] I [Music]