A Bilingual Perspective of Deafness: A Literacy Scheme, Read Book Understand Meaning

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Duffin, Dawn

Affiliations: 49a Bayview Avenue, Dublin 3

Abstract: This proposal was prepared to address the low English literacy levels of deaf school children. The Model School for the Deaf Project (MSDP) is committed to the maximisation of access to English as a second language through the medium of Irish Sign Language (ISL) which is fully accessible to all deaf children so long as there is an input in the language acquisition environment. In indicating how deaf children are not best served by accepted models of bilingualism, this discussion considers the relevant Language Processing Models and Language Acquisition Models and the questions the appropriateness of current educational curricula.

Keywords: Language acquisition and deafness, bilingualism, linguistic modality, viso-spatial language, meta linguistic-curricula

DOI: 10.3233/ACS-2001-11107

Journal: Journal of Clinical Speech and Language Studies, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 75-91, 2001