Last June, NAD issued an updated bilingual position statement for educational programs and schools with Deaf and Hard of Hearing children. Read the full article here:
“The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) released a position statement supporting the use of bilingual language development — the use of both American Sign Language (ASL) and English — in educational settings with deaf and hard of hearing infants, children and youth. ASL, as a visual language, can be easily acquired by young deaf and hard of hearing children and represents a natural and reliable route to language development which is essential for their cognitive, emotional, academic and social growth. Providing an education in both ASL and English increases access for these children at all levels.
Since its founding in 1880 by deaf and hard of hearing leaders to advance the rights of their community including the use of sign language to educate all deaf and hard of hearing children, the NAD has a long history of advocating for the use of bilingual education.”
To read the the updated position statement, visit http://nad.org/news/2015/6/new-bilingual- position-statement-released
Excerpted from NAD E-blast, June, 2015.