The Skinny on ... Deaf People's Inner Voice
Do Deaf people think in ASL or English?  Do they hear sounds in their heads?  This article offers several hypotheses from anecdotal evidence.  The most interesting one says that some Deaf people who have never heard sounds and never speak may have some phonological representations of sounds in their heads but very different from what hearing people hear.  The conclusion is that most Deaf people's inner voice is sign and speech.  The article refers to research by Greg Hickok, a neurobiologist at University of California at Irvine, and to the opinion of Peter Hauser, a deaf Ph.D. student in clinical psychology at Gallaudet University.
 

N.Y.C. Gives Nod to Sign Language for Deaf
In this March 18, 1998 article from Education Week on the Web, NYC public school officials announce a move to bi-bi education in their programs serving deaf students, namingly JHS 47 which serves 280 students from infancy to age 21.  The school's principal attributes poor student achievement in previous years to inconsistent instruction methods, and he believes a bi-bi approach will bring student reading levels up to that of hearing students.  One issue the school is facing is existing faculty and students' acquisition of ASL, as many are not fluent in the language.  The school is also working toward a curriculum commensurate with that of hearing students in NYC.  Skeptics seem to believe acquisition of spoken English will fall by the wayside.

Changes in Teacher Education Curriculum in Sweden
Shawn Mahshie, author of "Educating Deaf Children Bilingually," explains improvements made in the federally-supported bi-bi programming in Sweden.  Teacher training programs now focus more on subject area knowledge, bilingual teaching, second language instruction, and sign language linguistics.  Fluency in Swedish Sign Language is now a prerequisite for admission to these teacher education programs.  Another improvement includes K-12 curricula for teaching sign language, as Deaf students need instruction in their first language just as hearing students do.  Students learn to compose on video in Swedish Sign Language and participate in "writing" workshops.  Furthermore, current teachers were allowed a year off to study sign language full time.  Family support and involvement has improved tremedously. The article also discusses the social and cultural effects of a nationally adopted bi-bi approach and the resulting perspectives of cochlear implants.

Deaf educational policies in Denmark
Shawn Mahshie discusses high school exit exam scores of the first bilingual class (began in the bi-bi program as kindergarteners) in Denmark.  All students passed with scores on par with hearing students.  Some details of the testing and scoring process are described.  Reference given.

Deaf Mentors
This mother's call to the Deaf Community for increased involvement in the lives of deaf children describes the Deaf mentor programs in Sweden and Denmark, where bi-bi education is mandated by the federal government.  Parents of newly identified deaf children are paired with a Deaf adult who introduces the entire family to Deaf culture, Swedish or Danish Sign Language, and members of the Deaf Community.  Deaf children begin socialization with the Deaf Community, including Deaf children, as soon as they are identified.

What parents and Deaf adults would like to see in Parent Education
From many sources the author has compiled an extensive list of ideal characteristics for a parent education program.  This "wish list" includes specific suggestions for the involvement of Deaf adults, other parents and children, and professionals in the field.  Access to full and objective information, topics to be addressed, and the focus of parent programs are also discussed.
 
 
 

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This page last updated November 7, 1999.