Knowra Deaf education Deaf education Deaf education encompasses approaches to teaching people who are deaf or hard of hearing, including signed, spoken-language, bilingual, and inclusive models.
Bilingual–bicultural education : An educational approach that develops two languages and recognizes the cultural identities associated with them. It pairs a signed language with a written or spoken language while affirming Deaf culture.
Sign language : A natural language conveyed through visual-manual and bodily features, with its own grammar and vocabulary. Signed languages can serve as complete languages of instruction and communication.
Abbé de l'Épée : A French priest who founded a school for deaf children in Paris and promoted signed communication in the eighteenth century. His school helped establish organized education for Deaf students using signs.
Language deprivation : The developmental harm caused when a person lacks adequate access to a fully accessible language during early childhood. Delayed access to an accessible language can undermine learning and development.
Oralism : An approach that prioritizes speech and lip-reading, often discouraging or excluding sign language. It contrasts with models that treat sign languages as central languages of instruction.
American Sign Language : A natural sign language used by many Deaf communities in the United States and parts of Canada. It is one example of a language used in Deaf education, not a universal sign language.
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet : An American educator who helped establish the first permanent school for deaf students in the United States. His work founded an influential American institution for Deaf education.
Deaf culture : The shared languages, histories, practices, and identities of many Deaf communities. School language policies can support or restrict students' participation in Deaf communities.
Total communication : An approach using multiple communication methods, such as speech, signs, fingerspelling, and visual aids. It combines methods rather than committing exclusively to signed or spoken instruction.
Cued speech : A visual communication system that uses handshapes near the mouth to distinguish speech sounds. It can make spoken-language contrasts visually accessible in educational settings.
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