Unfortunately, the majority of health care professionals take the perspective related to functionalist theory in sociology. Therefore, their focus is on eliminating the disability (hearing aids, cochlear implants, AVT, etc) and to insure that individuals with disabilities function as closely as possible to the expected social roles of the majority non-disabled population. In health care, professionals have the social power to control, modify, or eliminate what they consider to be "deviant behavior" associated with disability. In other words, health care professionals have the power to restrict the use of manual language (signs) and promote the "non-deviant" behavior of using spoken language. No where is this more obvious than in the oralist view that restricted spoken language is preferable than fluent manual language. Appearing to be "normal" is more important than being competent.:rl:
