Although the development of hearing aids is making great strides, deaf people use sign language and consider it a central feature of their culture. Through a study of the literature, the methodological dispute and the Milan Congress of 1880, along with its consequences and effects on deaf education in Austria in 2017, are described. The failure of oral teaching methods led to a reorientation and the implementation of sign language methods. Based on the multi-level model of reading developed by Rosebrock and Nix, didactic possibilities for lesson planning are presented. Interviews with experts were conducted to compare the findings with the daily teaching practice of deaf educators in schools and training programmes. The effects of the 1880 decisions are still felt today, but teachers and pupils alike recognise the need for a paradigm shift towards more sign language and awareness of children's visual capacities.