On the vineyard hearing and deaf islanders alike grew up speaking sign language this unique sociolinguistic adaptation meant that the usual barriers to communication between the hearing and the deaf which so isolate many deaf people today did not exist. The true importance of this book however is implied in the phrase everyone here spoke sign language for groce has provided us with a verified example of the fact that deafness need not necessarily be socially isolating and that deaf people can be socially integrated into the larger community. David a gerber everyone here spoke sign language hereditary deafness on marthas vineyard by nora ellen groce cambridge harvard university press 1985 x we use cookies to enhance your experience on our websiteby continuing to use our website you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Everyone here spoke sign language hereditary deafness on marthas vineyard by nora ellen groce cambridge ma harvard university press 1985 x 169 pp figures . Fascinating history of marthas vineyard a small community where everyone spoke sign language hearing and deaf and where deafness was not seen as a disability this history shows that it is language specifically hearing peoples lack of knowledge of sign language that puts deaf people at a disadvantage in our society not the fact that they are deaf