This article focuses on the complex dynamics and the practical demands of teaching English to deaf children for whom British Sign Language (BSL) is a preferred/dominant language. A model focusing on the relationship between English and BSL is presented, and implications for curriculum and teaching methods are drawn. (DB)

Videotapes of simultaneous communication users were analyzed by three sign language professionals. Successful simultaneous communication was characterized by clear lip movement, fingerspelling of ambiguous signs, eye contact, communication of mood and attitude, modality match, and grammatical facial expression. Matching the semantically…

Reports on a study to examine the role of music in the deaf culture and to relate the findings to music education programs for hearing-impaired students. Finds that cultural identification is a major factor in deaf individuals' involvement with music. Concludes that music can have an important role in the education of most hearing-impaired…

Compared 6-month-old hearing infants' responsiveness to infant-directed and adult-directed signing. Results replicated those found with deaf infants, namely that infants showed greater attentional and affective responsiveness to infant-directed sign than to adult-directed sign, suggesting that infants are prepared to detect sign motherese…

This reprinted article of a 1966 study found that 38 children with deafness who had learned to communicate manually before entrance to school were superior in reading, speech reading, and written language compared to 38 children with deafness who had not learned to communicate manually before school entrance. (CR)

This article describes the key features of a Montreal bilingual program for children with deafness. The underpinnings of the program are outlined and then special attention is given to the considerations for the use of Quebec Sign Language and French as it relates to developing literacy in children with deafness. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Teachers rated the functional use of cochlear implants in 51 students (ages 4-21) with hearing impairments. Students with a known etiology and rural address, who used sign language at home or school, were less likely than others to use the implant as a primary channel for receptive communication. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This study with 64 deaf employees working in either signing work groups or nonsigning workgroups found that employees' perceived empowerment was significantly higher in the signing work groups. Deaf associates in signing work groups experienced greater psychological stress and role conflicts, whereas deaf associates in nonsigning groups…

Describes a multisensory reading program for teaching beginning reading to general education students. The program's main feature is that students learn to read by seeing, hearing, saying, and signing words. Pretesting and posttesting of participating kindergartners indicated that signing greatly enhanced the ability of hearing students to retain…

Examines arguments that language comes from innate, abstract knowledge of universal grammar that signers use to create new grammatical features. (12 references) (CK)

A survey of 23 establishments found 16 were still very active in using the Makaton peer tutoring method and reported that the method had not only contributed to an increase in communication and the effectiveness of interactions, but had also resulted in increased self-esteem, confidence, and assertiveness. (Contains references.) (CR)

This study surveyed 46 professional sign language interpreters working in criminal justice settings and evaluated 22 cases to evaluate access issues for individuals with hearing impairments. Recommendations to increase the accessibility of interpreting services included providing ongoing awareness training to criminal justice personnel and…

Within the framework of a longitudinal study of deaf children with cochlear implants, 11 children with implants were interviewed. The objective was to shed light on what it is like for a child to use a cochlear implant, based on these children's own experience with implants, which ranged from 5.0 to 7.5 years. Six of the children were in schools…

The study of deaf children's early literacy raises fundamental issues about their access to language, experiences of early interaction and literacy development. However, we currently understand very little about how young deaf children develop literacy skills given their exceptional linguistic circumstances. This review explores early literacy…

A collection of papers addresses a variety of issues regarding the nature and structure of sign language, gesture, and gesture systems. Articles include: "Theoretical Issues Relating Language, Gesture, and Space: An Overview" (Karen Emmorey, Judy S. Reilly); "Real, Surrogate, and Token Space: Grammatical Consequences in ASL American…