Some aspects of the development of post-school organisations of and for deaf people in Australia

Abstract: Few people are 'islands unto themselves', most seek the company and support of others. The company they desire is often found among childhood friends, through employment and through interests such as sporting, educational, church or social groups. A common feature of groups is a language usually shared through speech and hearing. Persons deaf from their early years generally do not mix with ease among groups where speech and hearing is the norm, therefore they tend to seek out people with whom they can relate comfortably. In practice, Deaf people look for the company of one another in a communication environment where sign language, carefully enunciated speech, or a mixture of both is used. These environments are found in social and sporting groups Deaf people set up for themselves, or in organisations established to provide Deaf people with a variety of social welfare type of support. Deaf people, originally, developed their own support organisations, but the organisations they developed in Australia are characterised by the gradual disempowerment of the very people who began them. The process began with the formalisation and institutionalisation of the organisations by hearing people. In this thesis the words 'hearing' and 'non-deaf' mean that the person has had the power of hearing sounds and speech from their early years. The word 'Deaf wherein the first letter is capitalised is now a common convention to describe a person who is deaf and aligns themselves with Deaf communities or groups. Therefore that convention has been used in this thesis except where quotations from other person's writings are made and that convention is not followed by them. The words 'dumb' and 'mute', nowadays, are not acceptable terminology, but have been used where contextual accuracy dictates such use. This thesis examines the development of some of those post-school support organisations of and for Deaf People in Australia and shows how their origins trace back to nineteenth century developments in Britain. It looks at the men who brought the early ideas and experience from there to our shores and the organisations from which they came. The thesis demonstrates that the first four Missions in Australia were influenced, both directly and indirectly, by nineteenth century British attitudes and knowledge. Directly, in terms of individuals who migrated from England to Australia in the nineteenth century, and indirectly in terms of the ideas and philosophies which emanated from leaders of the emerging Deaf community in the United Kingdom. Moreover, by looking at the history of support work for Deaf people the thesis reveals a mixture of events wherein among much kindness and generosity of spirit, may be found power struggles and blatant manoeuvring for control. Chapter One contains brief biographies of eight individuals who either came to Australia as adults or experienced the British scene. A example of this occurs in the case of the Muir brothers, who were born in Australia and sent back to Scotland for their education. All played an important role in the development of Deaf organisations in Australia. It examines how these people were interlinked and the work they did. Chapter Two discusses the importance of three Deafmen - Bums, Jennings and Paul- who did not come to Australia, but nevertheless, are key figures in understanding the directions taken in the emergence of deaf organisations in Australia. Their ideas and organisations had a significant impact, both directly and indirectly, on the men who came to Australia. The chapter also discusses the related religious and charitable organisations that developed in Britain, then moves on to the development of Missions specifically for Deaf people in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London. Extensive information is included about two organisations, namely the South London Gospel Mission for the Deaf and Dumb and the Bolton, Bury, Rochdale and District Adult Deaf & Dumb Society, because Ernest J.D. Abraham, who played a crucial role in the development of the Victorian Deaf Society1 was strongly influenced by them.These two organisations were where Abraham honed his craft, thus many of the ideas he brought with him to Melbourne came from those bodies. Chapter Three looks at the similarity between the Religious Objects of the first four Australian bodies and the outward manifestation of their Religious focus in the buildings they established. The chapter then turns to the way the organisations in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart and Perth developed. Chapter Four examines how the gradual disempowerment of Deaf people occurred throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries through an analysis of. the development of two breakaway organisations, one in Sydney and the other in Brisbane. Both movements were a direct response to the perceived increasing control of Deaf organisations at State level by hearing individuals, to the exclusion of Deaf people in decision-making processes. Chapter Five examines the way the same processes were repeated at a later date when national organisations were formed. Through an examination of the history of certain key national organisations, the chapter shows how the balance of power at national level shifted away from Deaf persons in the same way as it occurred at State level. Chapter Six concludes by suggesting that the mixed motives and competing philosophies, intertwined within the different organisations discussed in the thesis, find their roots in individuals in nineteenth century Britain. Despite the proven achievements and capabilities of Deaf people the process of disempowerment continues today. The Appendix contains records of three meetings, each reveals the conflicting ideals of their time. The fourth item in the Appendix records and describes the buildings and properties owned and used by the Australian post-school organisations.

Submission note: A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts to the School of Human Communication Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences.