Purpose: The Deaf community is an ethnolinguistic minority whose lack of access to mainstream health information limits health literacy. This study describes barriers to teaching high school health education in US K-12 Deaf schools. Methods: An online survey with English and American Sign Language (ASL) instructions were emailed to administrators…

This qualitative study delves into the innovative Bilingual Grammar Curriculum. The curriculum aims to enhance bilingualism and linguistic skills among deaf students by integrating American Sign Language instruction and written language grammatical structures. The researcher conducted in-depth interviews with 12 experienced educators of the deaf…

This paper discusses issues of language revitalization and linguistic prescriptivism related to the teaching of American Sign Language (ASL) in Canada. I describe the current and historical context for ASL teaching, including the increase in ASL course offerings at some postsecondary institutions, and discuss findings related to challenges in…

Critical pedagogy and social justice education have gained increasing attention in recent years in many subject matters, and world language education has been no exception to this trend. There are a number of works dedicated to critical pedagogy in world language education. At the same time that such concerns have gained attention, another…

In response to the need for deaf and hard of hearing students to facilitate literacy in American Sign Language (ASL) and to put as much focus on developing students' ASL skills as they usually do on developing their English skills, Melissa Herzig has created a curriculum entitled "Creating the Narrative Stories: The Development of the…

The California School for the Deaf (CSD), Fremont, is a deaf-centered bilingual program. CSD's approach to curriculum development, instructional pedagogy, and assessment integrates best practices in deaf education, bilingual education, and general education. The goals of the program are outlined in the Expected School-wide Learning Results which…

There is an exponential growth in the number of schools that offer American Sign Language (ASL) for foreign language credit and the different ASL curricula that were published. This study analyzes different curricula in its assumptions regarding language, learning, and teaching of second languages. It is found that curricula vary in their…

The concept of recentering the Deaf community in interpreter education stems from the recent discussion of program evolution away from stakeholders and into academia highlighted by Monikowski and Peterson (2005). The University of North Florida, in the initial stages of developing a B.S. degree and M.Ed. concentration in ASL/English Interpreting,…

Provides a current example of recent legislation that promotes the instruction of American Sign Language in public schools and/or at the college/university level for foreign or second-language credit. Addresses the impact and planning necessary to meet the challenge of this "new" old language in the schools. (RJM)

Between 1998 and 2002, enrollment in American Sign Language (ASL) curricula at the postsecondary level has increased 433% nationally, representing the largest enrollment percentage gain of all world languages. This unprecedented demand for ASL linguistic study has created a wide range of instructional challenges, the most pervasive of which…

This article explores some of the complexities of the question as to whether or not American Sign Language (ASL) is a foreign language. It reviews the historical oppression of the deaf, the development of ASL and its defining value to proponents of deaf culture, mentions other language systems (including foreign sign systems) used by the…

This article describes the implementation of one element of an adapted language arts curriculum for Deaf students in a bilingual (American Sign Language and English) educational setting. It examines the implementation of writing workshops in three elementary classrooms in a school for Deaf students. The typical steps of preparing/planning,…

For new educators, the obstacles of high-stakes testing, curricular mandates, and their own inexperience and self-doubt can render teaching for justice and equity overwhelming, seemingly impossible ideals. However, as students are increasingly tied to prescriptive curricula and academic performance standards, the goals of social justice and…

Describes a program and curriculum in American Sign Language developed by the state government of Kentucky in cooperation with Eastern Kentucky University that was used with hearing state employees so they could communicate more effectively with those with hearing impairments. (JOW)

Activities of the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School in developing a formal K-12 curriculum dealing with the history and culture of deafness are described. The planned curriculum will cover self-knowledge, communication strategies, American Sign Language, history, literature, and issues in deafness. A sample unit on self-knowledge is offered.…