Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education最新文献

Hearing can shape a child's developmental experiences; how they communicate, learn, interact, and engage with the world. Among the 1 million Francophones who live in a minority situation in Canada, an estimated 600 to 700 are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). Canadians living in a minority situation often face barriers accessing certain services. For DHH children, the linguistic environment is particularly important. However, it is unclear whether raising a DHH child in a linguistic minority presents additional challenges. The goal of this pan-Canadian research project was to gain an understanding of the perspectives of parents of DHH children living in a Francophone-minority community on factors that have contributed positively or negatively to the development of their child. Using a qualitative approach, interviews were conducted with 14 parents across Canada. Thematic analyses of these interviews resulted in four key themes: the importance of the French language for these families, the lack of services in French, the lack of resources in general and in French, and the elements that contribute positively to the development of this population of children. Findings from this study reinforce the importance of providing access to French services in minority settings for these families.

This study examined whether stereotype threat degrades deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) college students' math performance. The DHH participants self-assigned their social identity as "deaf" or "hard of hearing" irrespective of audiological assessment. Social identity is central to experiencing stereotype threat and being deaf or hard of hearing may activate negative biases which trigger a stereotype threat that impacts test performance. A sample of college students (216 deaf, 128 hard of hearing, 152 hearing) were randomly assigned to either a stereotype threat or no-threat test condition and tested on arithmetic, modular arithmetic, and quantitative Graduate Record Examination-type math problems. The deaf and hard-of-hearing participants tested under the stereotype threat condition underperformed compared to those under the no-threat condition. Further exploratory analyses demonstrated that female participants underperformed male participants and African American/Black DHH participants underperformed White DHH participants. This double-threat jeopardy finding of multiple marginalized identities is consistent with the minority stress model. Overall, results are consistent with previous research in which a social identity is linked to a negative stereotype and both the stereotype and linked identity impact performance. This study demonstrated that deaf and hard of hearing are social constructs, and the results provide empirical support for the social model of disability.

We propose five guiding values for early sign language access as guidelines for change in the design and practice of early intervention and education of Deaf children. Applying these guiding values will facilitate language-rich environments and reduce the harms associated with language deprivation experienced by many Deaf children. These guiding values are distinct yet interconnected and are applicable for professionals and families alike.

Around 90-95% of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children are born to hearing parents, most of whom have no prior knowledge of a sign language. This creates a risk of language deprivation, with long-term effects on language, cognitive, and social-emotional development. Research shows that sign language input supports children's development without hindering spoken language acquisition. Yet many hearing parents of DHH children are discouraged from learning sign language by unfounded claims from professionals or by restrictive support systems. In the Netherlands, parental sign language courses are covered by health insurance, which reduces financial barriers but also reinforces a medical framing of deafness and sign language and limits parental choice by assigning families to a single provider. Higher-level sign language courses are scarce, and most materials focus on vocabulary rather than sentence formation, leaving parents at a basic level while their children progress rapidly. This brief highlights what is known about hearing parents' experiences learning sign language and calls for systemic changes: unbiased professional guidance, inclusion of DHH role models, greater parental choice in courses, and a socio-cultural view on sign language.

This study explored how sign language use and social connectedness influenced the life satisfaction of twelve British Deaf community members (n = 12, m = 2, f = 10, aged 23-79). During in-person and remote interviews, participants compared experiences of sign language use and social connectedness with experiences of spoken language and exclusion. Reflexive thematic analysis generated two main themes. (1) Gaining Deafness: which explored how sign language use and social connectedness created positive perceptions of deafness, enabling authenticity and agency. (2) Empowering Deaf pride: which examined how feeling connected to sign language and Deaf culture produced Deaf pride and self-advocacy, empowering participants. These findings support the implementation of sign language in early education for all children. The findings call for the social reconstruction of deafness, and for deaf-led development of inclusive definitions and terminology. This research provides new qualitative evidence on how sign language and Deaf cultural connectedness enhance the life satisfaction of Deaf adults.

Communication is a significant barrier for persons who are Deaf and persons who are DeafBlind when accessing healthcare services. Most healthcare professionals are unfamiliar with sign language, which complicates the provision of holistic care. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess differences between employed nursing professionals and nursing students in three areas: motivation to learn Croatian Sign Language, knowledge about persons who are Deaf and persons who are DeafBlind, and opinions toward them. In both questionnaires, the same questions were asked for direct comparison between the examined groups. Nursing students showed statistically significantly more positive opinions compared to employed nursing professionals (p < .001), with first-year Master's nursing students scoring the highest (p = .019). Additionally, nursing students showed greater motivation to learn sign language (p = .015). These results are consistent with other studies showing similar trends, reporting low sign language knowledge and negative emotions when working with patients who are Deaf and patients who are DeafBlind, and highlight the need to integrate sign language training and communication skills into nursing education. Findings should be interpreted considering the convenience sample from one Croatian region and the use of non-parametric analyses.

Teaching newly immigrated deaf and hard-of-hearing multimodal-multilingual learners requires the flexible and adapted use of diverse semiotic resources. This study adopts a linguistic ethnography approach to examine how three teachers use various semiotic resources in classrooms where German and German Sign Language (DGS) are taught simultaneously. The study analyzes (a) which semiotic resources are employed and (b) how teachers jointly use them to support students' languages learning. The findings reveal that teachers commonly draw on DGS, written (and spoken) German, and further semiotic resources: fingerspelling (manual alphabet of DGS), mouthing (German), and signing systems. Moreover, they may also incorporate student-initiated semiotic resources, i.e., students' heritage sign language and the manual alphabet of heritage sign language, to connect these to targeted languages. Furthermore, teachers calibrate additional semiotic resources, such as digital media, into their teaching to foster understanding. Overall, the study highlights teachers' strategies for supporting language development and facilitating understanding in a multimodal-multilingual learning environment.

Educational interpreters' roles and responsibilities have long been one of the most ambiguous and controversial aspects of inclusive education for Deaf and hard of hearing students. Although it is largely agreed upon that sign language interpreters are expected to fulfill expanded roles and responsibilities in educational settings, the field has yet to reach a consensus regarding where those extended boundaries are to be drawn. Furthermore, the longstanding lack of standardized expectations for educational interpreters has left many of them making unguided guesses regarding how to best support the students whom they serve, often in domains for which they have little-to-no formal preparation or training. Through a national survey, this mixed-method study explored 482 educational interpreters' fulfillment of various roles and responsibilities and their perspectives regarding appropriateness, with particular attention to their level of involvement as Individualized Education Program team members. Results indicate that educational interpreters continue to engage in a myriad of roles and responsibilities, of varying frequencies, and while there is some diversity among their perspectives regarding specific tasks, overarchingly, they aspire to contribute more comprehensively as educational professionals. These results further compel the call for a paradigm shift in which qualified educational interpreters possess the education, training, support, and confidence required to serve as accessibility specialists within the educational team.

Many deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children who are exposed to a signed language acquire their language with seemingly little effort and communicate effectively with other signers. However, some children struggle with aspects of comprehension or production, and their communication with other signers is hindered. An online survey was used to gather estimates from professionals who work with signing DHH children about aspects of signed language comprehension and production that tend to be challenging for DHH children who are exposed to a signed language early and regularly throughout childhood (early/regular group) and DHH children who do not have early and regular exposure to a signed language (delayed/limited group). Estimates from 55 professionals revealed differences in the prevalence of language challenges across groups, with children in the delayed/limited exposure group reported to experience significantly more challenges than the early/regular exposure group, across all features of language examined. Focused analyses of specific features reveal that some aspects of language are more difficult than others.

Deaf and hard-of-hearing Multilingual Learners (DMLs) are Deaf and hard-of-hearing students who are either born outside of the country they currently receive schooling in or have both parents born outside of that country, using a language other than the national spoken language at home. This group is growing in numbers and contributes significantly to the increasing linguistic and cultural diversity in Deaf education. This systematic review synthesizes findings from 17 peer-reviewed empirical studies, identifying four educational levels relevant to DMLs: context, organization, educators, and student. Parents are key agents across all levels. While DML education generally aligns with that of other deaf and hard-of-hearing students, educators attest to difficulties teaching DMLs due to a lack of adequate assessments, strategies, and materials, adapted to DMLs' specific needs. Educators and parents highlight difficulties in establishing effective home-school collaboration, despite its recognized importance for academic success. DMLs value all their languages equally but especially emphasize the national sign language for learning. Parents are an underused resource. This review underlines the pressing need for empirical research on effective teaching strategies and materials for DMLs, improved internal and external school collaboration strategies, and a deeper understanding of DMLs' experience.