Deaf Bilingual Bicultural Education

Abstract

Bilingual bicultural education of Deaf students recognizes both the native sign language of the Deaf community and the majority language of the country in which the students reside. It also fosters Deaf culture and an appreciation of the many cultures comprising the broader society. Underlying this educational philosophy is the notion that Deaf people are individuals who are linguistically and culturally distinct. It is an “empowering education” — one that fosters a sense of pride and self motivation in Deaf individuals (Malkowski, 1995). In contrast, Deaf education has historically been dominated by a monolingual philosophy. Educational methodologies have been based on an “audist” view of Deaf people as “audiologically handicapped”. With this monolingual philosophy in place, Deaf people have had little say in their education and hearing professionals have directed their attention to “helping” Deaf students “succeed” as semi-hearing people.