Teaching reading skills to children is not a one-size-fits-all approach. While hearing children use the sound of spoken language to read, for deaf and hard-of-hearing children a different teaching approach is needed. It requires the teacher to go beyond the curriculum and take time to build language skills in sign language, before focusing on word and text reading.
Teaching how to read
The most accessible language to the deaf child is a visual language, sign language. It follows its own grammar rules, which is why learning how to read and later write means learning a second language for a deaf child. Therefore, a bilingual model of education (sign language combined with written language) would be optimal for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. In reality, the deaf child is generally deprived of access to learning due to lacking skills and knowledge of teachers. Kentalis International Foundation is committed to improving the quality of literacy education for deaf and hard-of-hearing learners aged 6 – 11 years old in developing countries and sharing its expertise in teacher education.
We focus on:
- Providing expertise to educators, through teacher training colleges and universities, on how to teach reading and writing to deaf learners.
- Working with the local Deaf community to improve young deaf children’s social engagement and cultural identity.
- Boosting inclusive classrooms, units in schools, and specialized schools for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.
- Supporting remedial teaching or pre-teaching methods to ensure optimal integration of deaf or hard-of-hearing children in regular school settings.