Language use means the intentional choices a program makes about when and how ASL and English are used for teaching and learning. This reading list gathers the research behind those choices, including work on bilingual education, the critical period showing why early language access matters so much, and Deaf ways of knowing. Use it to ground your language planning in evidence, to support decisions about instruction, and to explain to colleagues and families why deliberate, well-planned use of both ASL and English supports access, achievement, and identity.
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This Clerc Center infoblast explains when to make intentional time for signing and viewing ASL vs. reading and writing of English.
This overview resource summarizes key research related to sign language, spoken language development, and early language access for deaf and hard of hearing children.
Learn the discrepancies in language access for deaf and hard of hearing students compared to their hearing peers, and understand that our community is facing a neurodevelopmental emergency.