Japanese literacy and the use of sign language in deaf education in Japan

Abstract

This paper discusses the use of sign language for developing Japanese literacy in deaf children, based on research into deaf education in Japan. In the 1980's, the National Institute of Special Education (NISE) conducted comparative research on schools for the hearing impaired that use various communication modes and elementary schools for hearing children. The results show that various factors work in tandem with the communication modes (oral, cued speech, and simultaneous) for developing Japanese literacy in deaf children. It should be recognized that literacy comprises various activities: reading, writing, daily communication, background knowledge, and so on. The paper also explains some of the main instructional techniques using a bilingual approach for developing Japanese literacy in deaf children.