Actually fairejoure, that is b/c most dhh people are late deafened. Not nessarily age related losses but only about 10% of hearing losses are pediatric. Not all dhh as kids people use Sign, yes. But many do, and many pick it up as an additional tool. Were you aware that it's actually very common at AG BELL conferences to see 'terps being used?!?!
And a lot of hoh kids although they may not learn it in school, may pick it up later. Unfortunatly the attitude among "experts" is that hoh kids don't "need" SIgn or Deaf Ed. There ARE however, hoh kids who attend Deaf Schools or Deaf programs or use Sign. (some DODA familes include hoh kids you know)
HHIssues, what you're missing is that we're suggesting a FULL TOOLBOX approach! We are NOT saying that dhh kids shouldn't have the right to develop speech skills....and even most DODAs wear hearing aids and get speech training!