What is the Tadoma Method? It is a technique used by individuals who are blind and deaf in order to perceive what someone is saying by touching their face. The way to perform the Tadoma method is by placing a hand on a speaker’s face, along the jaw, lips, and sometimes the throat to feel the vibrations and movements of speech. The thumb can be placed on the lips of the speaker to help feel the articulation, but only if the speaker feels comfortable with it, and that happens while the fingers pick up on jaw movement and vocal cord vibrations. Helen Keller made it famous. The Perkins School for the Blind created it in the 20th century. The method was named after two early students, Tad Chappman and Oma Simpson.
The technique seems a bit intrusive to me, but it is said that with practice, it is extremely effective in communicating and picking up on the tones and emotions of the speaker. This method has died down as of late because of its intrusiveness as well as other techniques being discovered, such as braille, tactile sign language, and other technological advances. Overall, I think the method is a wonderful way for people to connect to one another as well as a beautiful way for deaf and blind people to feel emotion from others.
Reed, C. M., Rabinowitz, W. M., Durlach, N. I., Delhorne, L. A., Braida, L. D., Pemberton, J. C., Mulcahey, B. D., & Washington, D. L. (1992). Analytic Study of the Tadoma Method: Improving Performance Through the Use of Supplementary Tactual Displays. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 35(2), 450–465. https://doi.org/10.1044/jshr.3502.450
Hi, Gavin! While the Tadoma method is indeed considered invasive, I agree that is a beautiful way for people to connect and kind of breaks down the barrier or hesitation some people have when trying to communicate with members of the deaf-blind community. I think, while technology now is amazing, its also interesting to have these personal ways of communicate through faces still.
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