Introduction: Bilingualism in the Education of Deaf Learners

Introduction: Bilingualism in the Education of Deaf Learners Connie Mayer (bio) and Beverly J. Trezek (bio) While there have undoubtedly been bilingual and multilingual deaf individuals throughout history, it was not until the latter decades of the 20th century that bilingualism became an explicit focus in deaf education. Bilingualism at this juncture in the field was framed in terms of a natural signed language (e.g., American Sign Language) as the first language (L1) and the majority spoken language (e.g., English) as L2. More specifically, from a pedagogical perspective, the aim was to provide instruction via a fully accessible L1—a natural signed language. It was argued that this would allow for age-appropriate language and cognitive development in L1, which would in turn provide the necessary foundation for learning to read and write in L2 (Johnson et al., 1989; Lane et al., 1996; Small & Mason, 2008; Strong, 1988; Wilbur, 2000). The underlying ethos of these programs included the empowerment of Deaf people and the valuing of the culture and language of the Deaf community (Swanwick & Gregory, 2007). While these programs have been an aspect of the educational landscape globally (e.g., in Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Sweden, South Africa, and the United States) since the early 1980s (Svartholm, 2007), research as to their efficacy has been indeterminate both with respect to the development of L1 and literacy development in L2 (e.g., Mayer & Leigh, 2010). From the outset, questions were raised as to how linguistic interdependence (Cummins 1989, 1991, 2000) applies in the context of deaf education, in which L1 and L2 do not share the same modality (i.e., L1 is signed, L2 is spoken) and L1 does not have a written form, and whether it is possible to acquire L2 literacy in the absence of acquiring competence in its face-to-face form (Mayer & Wells, 1996). These remain unsettled questions. In 2020, we conducted a systematic review of the available research evidence documenting the literacy achievement of deaf students educated in sign bilingual programs; this review was subsequently published in the American Annals of the Deaf (Mayer & Trezek, 2020). The purpose of the review was to determine whether early concerns were justified, identify gaps in the empirical literature, and propose directions for future research. While we found a considerable literature describing sign bilingual models of education and their implementation (e.g., Livingston, 1997; Mashie, 1995), few studies clearly [End Page 672] documented outcomes to provide empirical evidence in support of sign bilingual practice. Our review article prompted a response from Scott et al. (2021), in which they raised questions about the review. We subsequently published a rejoinder (Mayer & Trezek, 2021) in which we addressed the issues raised by Scott et al. In an effort to broaden the conversation on the important and timely topic of bilingualism in deaf education, for this special section of the Winter 2023 Annals we have invited authors not only to consider the questions we have raised, but to expand our view of bilingualism in educating deaf students. Such a conversation is especially relevant in the current context, in which most deaf students have earlier and better access to spoken language via improved and improving hearing technologies (e.g., Archbold, 2015), the majority are educated in inclusive settings (Consortium for Research in Deaf Education, 2019), and many come from bilingual homes where the L1 is not the majority language. Connie Mayer Mayer is a professor in the Faculty of Education and the academic coordinator of the Teacher Preparation Program in the Education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students, York University, Toronto, Canada. Beverly J. Trezek Trezek is an associate professor, Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education, and the Tashia F. Morgridge Distinguished Chair in Reading, University of Wisconsin–Madison. References Archbold, S. (2015). Being a deaf student: Changes in characteristics and needs. In H. Knoors & M. Marschark (Eds.), Educating deaf learners: Creating a global evidence base (pp. 23–46). Oxford University Press. Google Scholar Consortium for Research in Deaf Education. (2019). CRIDE report on 2018/19 survey on educational provision for deaf children in England. https://www.ndcs.org.uk/information-and-support/being-deaf-friendly/information...

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