The first step in engaging deaf and hard of hearing children in language-rich environments is getting their attention. Hearing teachers intuitively raise their voices as they enter their classes to get students' attention; Deaf teachers intuitively wait for the students to look at them. Deaf sign language teachers report that when hearing students…

According to Ong (1986), for a long time, in the human history, direct or "vis-à-vis" communication has been the only modality of communication; traditions have essentially been oral and their survival depended on the continuous renewal, which was represented by the "vis-à-vis" narration of stories and activities. In this way,…