Deaf Kids' Perspectives on Bilingual Deaf Education

• In Event: Research on the Education of Deaf Persons SIG Paper Session

Abstract

Like adults and other stakeholders of and in Deaf Education, Deaf children's perspectives are gained via direct experiences in Deaf school. This paper adds this unique perspective in larger dialogues surrounding Deaf Education. Children in this study shared thoughts on enculturation into Deaf culture and Deafhood. The innovative visual methodologies video-cued focus group interviews, and other visual strategies were used to gain informed insight from deaf children currently attending signing Deaf Schools around the United States. The results of these child-directed interviews provides much insight to Deaf children's perspectives on past and current educational experiences, and on the role they see their school experiences playing in their identity formation as a d/Deaf person.

Author

• Jennifer Scarboro Hensley, Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing