Let's not confuse one's native langauge with the langauge used by the majority. Just because spoken language is the langauge used by the majority population does not mean that it is any given individual's native language. Dominant and native are two very different concepts. It is through gaining fluency in one's native language (in the case of the deaf, ASL) that one is able to transfer that fluency to gaining profieciency in the dominant langauage...i.e. spoken English. I think you already have an understanding of this, deafskeptic, so I wasn't correcting you. Just elaborating for others.
And you are so right on the assimilation point. A deaf indiviual assimilated into hearing society through oral only is more evident as having a disability.
