The Sign Vine

It really is astonishing. Bilingualism is encouraged in hearing children but discouraged in Deaf children. Why is that?

NOTE: We use the word "Deaf" as an inclusive term for all Deaf, hard of hearing, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and late-deafened children.

Image description: In a time when linguistic diversity is encouraged and considered an asset, it is astonishing that many professionals in the field of deaf education, speech pathology, and audiology still adhere to outdated beliefs about bimodal bilingualism for DHH children” (Secora & Smith, 2021, p. 3).

Full citation: Secora, K., & Smith, D. (2021). The benefit of the “and” for considerations of language modality for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 6, 397-401.

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Only 2% of Deaf children receive education in Sign Language.
(Haualand, H., Allen, C. (2009). Deaf People and Human Rights.
World Federation of the Deaf and Swedish National Association of the Deaf.
Available from http://www.wfdeaf.org)

Learn more about why ASL?

https://deafchildren.org/knowledge-center/asl-resources/why-deaf-kids-need-asl/

[ID: Circular sun with colorized rays with inner text “Only 2% of Deaf children receive education in Sign Language.”. Bottom right is a small ASDC logo of 5 multicolored hands in "ILY" hand shape with "American Society for Deaf Children" arched over the top.]

Thanks to those making Divine Liturgy Deaf accessible!

Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

I’m Deaf And I Have ‘Perfect’ Speech. Here’s Why It’s Actually A Nightmare. Pointing at the menu, I accidentally let the word "soup" slip out to the server and our delightful meal goes straight downhill.

This is how our thoughts and beliefs turn into actions. If we hold beliefs that are rooted in misconceptions and misinformation about ASL and listening devices, they will directly impact the decisions we make with our Deaf students. Likewise, if we are making a decision about a Deaf student, we can stop and ask ourselves what belief is driving that decision.

NOTE: We use the word "Deaf" as an inclusive term for all Deaf, hard of hearing, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and late-deafened children.

Image description: How thoughts and beliefs turn into actions. A brain on the left with the phrases "ASL is not a real language" "Cochlear implants will fix them" "English is more important" "Signing will make them difference" and "Signing will impede their speech." Five arrows lead from the brain out to different actions: working on speech production at the expense of overall language, having them learn an AAC device before a natural signed language, never exposing them to ASL, forcing the use of their cochlear implant even when they resist, persisting with oral English even when it's not working.

Celebrating . Early Greeks did not believe the Deaf could be educated. A French priest established the first school for the Deaf. Alexander Graham Bell believed in eugenics, worked to ban the use of sign language, and supported laws to prevent marriage between Deaf people in an attempt to eradicate the "Deaf race." William Stokoe wrote the first definitive book proving American Sign Language is a fully realized, independent language. The first civil rights legislation for the D/deaf, Deaf-Blind, and hard of hearing was passed in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act. Deaf history is long and filled with important events. Visit https://www.bridgesfordeafandhh.org/deaf-history to learn more. Click on each picture/icon to dig deeper.



https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/asl/deaf-history-timeline

https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/content/deaf-jam_timeline-html/

https://signlanguageco.com/deaf-culture-timeline/

Delivering Smiles for Mother’s Day Mother’s Day is just one opportunity to show mom how much you care. Whether you’re down the street or across the country, FedEx is here to help you make her ...

Check this out! Great examples! Posted @withregram • @signlanguagecenter Never underestimate the power of water or NMS! It’s amazing to see how much meaning can be conveyed by using our Non-Manual Signals (NMS). Our facial expressions are one example. Take a look and see what we can demonstrate by ‘serving face’ with liquids! @guthrienutter @anutterdish shows us true expressions in ASL! #signlanguagecenter #whyisign #askmewhyisign #signlanguage

Ursula Bellugi, H-’09, passes away We are sad to report the passing on April 17 of Ursula Bellugi, H-’09. Says President Cordano, “Dr. Bellugi was a pioneer in American Sign Language research. Her work on the biological foundations of language showed that the brain processes signed languages just as it processes spoken languages....