A Life’s Work

NZ born education pioneer and author Dion “Darcy” Dale has died. Dale devoted his life to the teaching and studying of deaf and partially hearing children. He was particularly prominent in promoting the use of lip reading and vocal communication as opposed to sign language, which he felt could potentially isolate deaf children from the non-signing majority. Dale authored four books and a Lancet article on educating the deaf and hearing impaired, and founded a groundbreaking diploma course for teachers of the deaf at the London University Institute of Education in 1965.

Dion Dale: died 2005