Bilingual-bicultural or BiBi education programs use sign language as the native, or first, language of deaf children. In the United States, for example, American Sign Language (ASL) is the natural first language for deaf children. The spoken or written language used by the majority of the population is viewed as a secondary language to be acquired either after or at the same time as the native language. In BiBi education, sign language is the primary method of instruction. The bicultural aspect of BiBi education emphasizes the study of Deaf culture and strives to create confidence in deaf students by exposing them to the Deaf community.
Various studies have found a correlation between ASL skill level and English literacy or reading comprehension. The most plausible explanation for this is that ASL skill level predicts English literacy level. Having a basis of American Sign Language can benefit the acquisition of the English language. In fact, bilingual children show more development in cognitive, linguistic, and meta-linguistic processes than their monolingual peers.[1]
36% to 40% of residential and day schools for deaf students in the US report using BiBi education programs.[2]
Bilingual-bicultural education - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
