Lillo-Martin Diane C, Gale Elaine, Pichler Deborah Chen
Department of Linguistics, University of Connecticut, 365 Fairfield Way, Unit 1145; Storrs CT 06269-1145.
Department of Special Education, Hunter College, CUNY, 695 Park Ave., Room 918 W; New York, NY 10065.
Topics Early Child Spec Educ. 2023 Aug;43(2):156-166. doi: 10.1177/02711214211031307. Epub 2021 Jul 23.
Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children experience systematic barriers to equitable education due to intentional or unintentional ableist views that can lead to a general lack of awareness about the value of natural sign languages, and insufficient resources supporting sign language development. Furthermore, an imbalance of information in favor of spoken languages often stems from a phonocentric perspective that views signing as an inferior form of communication that also hinders development of spoken language. To the contrary, research demonstrates that early adoption of a natural sign language confers critical protection from the risks of language deprivation without endangering spoken language development. In this position paper, we draw attention to deep societal biases about language in information presented to parents of DHH children, against early exposure to a natural sign language. We outline actions that parents and professionals can adopt to maximize DHH children's chances for on-time language development.
失聪和听力障碍（DHH）儿童在接受公平教育时面临系统性障碍，这是由于有意或无意的能力主义观点导致对自然手语价值普遍缺乏认识，以及支持手语发展的资源不足。此外，信息偏向口语的不平衡往往源于以语音为中心的观点，这种观点将手语视为一种低等的交流形式，也会阻碍口语发展。相反，研究表明，早期采用自然手语能在不危及口语发展的情况下，为防止语言剥夺风险提供关键保护。在本立场文件中，我们提请注意在向DHH儿童家长提供的信息中存在的关于语言的深刻社会偏见，反对早期接触自然手语。我们概述了家长和专业人员可以采取的行动，以最大限度地提高DHH儿童按时实现语言发展的机会。
