Back in the day the thought was that if Deaf people signed they wouldn’t fit in with the “normals” for a while deaf schools forbade signing. But now days it’s total communication. My last doctor did something to my records and I no longer have to ask for interpreters they are automatically given to me. I was born in the 50’s so that was a long time ago and fortunately I was born hearing so I got my language in before losing my hearing at 3 1/2 when I had the measles.