Deaf Education and Challenges for Bilingual/Multilingual Students

Biliteracy or the development of reading writing speaking listening and thinking competencies in more than one language is a complex and dynamic process. The process is even more challenging when the languages used in the literacy process differ in modality. Biliteracy development among deaf students involves the use of visual languages (i.e. sign languages) and auditory languages (spoken languages). Deaf students'' sign language proficiency is strongly related to their literacy abilities. The distinction between bilingualism and multilingualism is critical to our understanding of the underserved the linguistic deficit and the underachievement of deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) immigrant students thus bringing the multilingual and immigrant aspect into the research on deaf education. Multilingual and immigrant students may face unique challenges in the course of their education. Hence in the education of D/HH students the intersection of issues such as biculturalism/multiculturalism bilingualism/multilingualism and immigration can create a dilemma for teachers and other stakeholders working with them. Deaf Education and Challenges for Bilingual/Multilingual Students is an essential reference book that provides knowledge skills and dispositions for teaching multicultural multilingual and immigrant deaf and hard of hearing students globally and identifies the challenges facing the inclusion needs of this population. This book fills a current gap in educational resources for teaching immigrant multilingual and multicultural deaf students in learning institutions all over the world. Covering topics such as universal design for learning inclusion literacy and language acquisition this text is crucial for classroom teachers of deaf or hard of hearing students faculty in deaf education programs language instructors students pre-service teachers researchers and academicians.