Comments on questions regarding Deaf culture, with particular reference to black Americans. It is suggested that it is essential to acknowledge that within cultures there is a range of views and values and that it is of fundamental importance to construct theories that embody that understanding as well as a dialectical relationship. (CK)

This paper responds to "Jamaican Deaf Children Interacting with Written Language: Support for Bilingual Instruction?" (Winnifred Hall), that stressed the importance of cultural factors in the education of students with deafness. Difficulties in implementing bilingual programs, alternative bilingual/bicultural models, and the need for…

The author of "Jamaican Deaf Children Interacting with Written Language: Support for Bilingual Instruction?," responds to criticism that the difficulties of implementing a bilingual program were underestimated and the relevance of early intervention in learning English was not sufficiently recognized. Support for early intervention is…

For more than a century, educators have recognized the low academic achievement of deaf children in America. Teacher training programs in deaf education historically have emphasized medical-pathological views of deaf people and deaf education rather than appropriate pedagogies that draw upon and build on deaf students' linguistic and cultural …

Discusses how American Sign Language does and does not resemble African American Vernacular English (Ebonics). The need for metalinguistic awareness in students is highlighted. Students are urged to learn Standard English, recognize and respect other languages they use, and know the link between language, status, and power. (CR)

American higher education must extend its notion of pluralistic recognition and inquiry to the language and culture of the deaf community and appreciate the individual gifts that this cultural group brings to the whole society. (CB)

An anthropological study of the American Deaf Culture points out that its members do not merely constitute a subculture and that study of American Sign Language, like many other foreign languages, offers knowledge of not only a natural language but also the culture in which it is used. (CB)

Outlines the procedures used to identify, analyze, and organize components of an American Sign Language curriculum, based on processes used to develop second-language curricula. Students are encouraged to develop communicative competence and cultural awareness in a classroom environment, allowing for natural language learning. (CB)