The background on the topic?

The American Sign Language (ASL) system is a communications technology developed to enhance the use of body language in the place of voice. Distinct from the medicalised model of deafness, the adoption of ASL and other technologies for purposes of engaged communications participation by both deaf and non-deaf persons, evidences the utility and the efficacy of enhancement technologies for knowledge transfer not primarily focused on "correction" of deaf people.

What was the question or concept?

If societal views of deafness have changed, it is largely a response to technological advancement of technologies beyond medical devices and surgical intervention, argues Burrows (2022) in 'A Not-So-Short History of Deaf Technology.' Burrows reviews the history of deafness and the introduction of ASL. Until recently, the two main methods of communicating with the deaf were 1) oral, relying on both speech training and residual hearing via medical device; and 2) hand signed languages (Burrows, 2022). ASL presented a new opportunity for societal advancement of knowledge transfer for those without full hearing capacity at a time when deafness was mostly a medical concern, says Burrows.

What does this article add to human knowledge?

The iterative transformation of deaf technologies reveals a societal "shift" Burrows suggests, and this "complex interplay" of "belief, medical advancements, and the deaf community's responses" signals the dynamic evolution of cultural accommodation and ongoing synergy of this population with the development of new communications technologies designed to serve their knowledge transfer needs (Burrows, 2022). This is not to discount surgical interventions and medical prothesis innovations, as in the case of hearing aids "paired with Bluetooth devices for even more flexibility," acknowledges the author. The article reminds us of the potential of somatic unity by way of medical and cultural inputs, presenting new vehicles for normalisation of deaf communications and knowledge transfer by way of multiple modalities of technological interaction – manual, voice, and writing.

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References
Burrows, K. (2022). A Not-So-Short History of Deaf Technology. London Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences 22(15) 1, 1-14.