Deaf Students as a Linguistic and Cultural Minority

Deaf children are often educated as a “special needs” population–as children with disabilities. More recently, some teachers have changed perspectives to view deaf students as a linguistic and cultural minority. These teachers may use a bilingual approach to teaching deaf children. This article explains the historical context for these changes in perspective and how these changes influence the bilingual approach to education. It talks about how a linguistic and cultural minority perspective influences language development, teacher preparation, and educational policy.

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