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Dealing with deafness can be hard, but you are not alone. This website provides information that may answer many of your challenging questions about hearing loss.
A Parent Guide to Hearing Loss
Bi-Lingual and Bi-Cultural Programs (Bi-Bi):
A Bilingual and Bicultural Program is a type of education for deaf and hard of hearing students. It teaches them to learn American Sign Language as their first language and English as their second language. Deaf culture is also focused on this modification. This program teaches that English and ASL are completely different from each other.
PROS:
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Deaf Culture is emphasized
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There are no barriers to language proficiency
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American Sign Language is used for all forms of edcuation
CONS:
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Family and educators must be proficient in ASL
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Parents must take time to learn ASL to communicate with their children
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Lack of Deaf role models in the child's environment
Signed English:
SEE is a signing method that transforms the exact spoken words of English to hand gestures. It is mostly used to help develop language.
PROS:
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Makes English structure visible
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Parents can communicate in their own English language
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Enables educators to teach English
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The child will have better reading and writing skills
CONS:
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It is awkward to use
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It is not very conversational
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Deaf culture does not recognize it as a language
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