The Easy-to-Read Version of the Bible was initially prepared to meet the special needs of the deaf and was first published as The English Version for the Deaf. Most people who can hear are not familiar with the difficulty that many deaf people experience in reading standard English, which is mainly due to their lack of exposure to spoken language early in life. Unlike their hearing peers, most deaf children have not acquired a large spoken vocabulary by the time they reach school age. This makes learning to read a much more difficult task for them. It is not easy for them to relate the written symbols they see with the spoken language those symbols represent. In addition, for many the knowledge of sign language influences their acquisition and use of spoken language.