The Bilingual Approach to Deaf Education: implications for teaching and learning written language

Abstract

This article reviews the background of the bilingual approach in deaf education, it describes more specifically how it has been implemented in Sweden, and it refers to the incorporation of this approach in deaf education in Chile. Further on, it analyzes the way in which Sign Language can be used to teach written language in bilingual education contexts, using examples from primary education classes for children at a school for the deaf. Finally the article emphasizes the implications of the bilingual model for the process of teaching and learning written language in deaf education, and it discusses some considerations for moving forward in this area in the Chilean education context.