Incorporating Sign Language In Mainstream Education: Challenges and Methods.
Most people believe that sign language should be taught in schools so that deaf children can communicate more easily. However, there are various reasons why this may not be the best suggestion. For one thing, sign language can be quite challenging to learn. It is a visual language, so it can be tough to pick up if you are not already accustomed to it. Also, most hirers do not know how to use sign language interpreters optimally.
Furthermore, it can be hard to find qualified teachers who know how to teach sign language properly. Lastly, some deaf children may prefer to use other mediums of communication, like lip reading or writing.
Not many countries in the world accept sign language. For instance, American sign language is presently banned in the United States and Canada due to its lack of a language, so you find it only being taught at the high school level.
Countless schools make American sign language not compulsory. They offer it as an option with other foreign languages. People who are deaf or hard of hearing can learn American sign language so that they can gain an understanding of the difficulties they face. Sign language in high schools is rarely used as a foreign language or any other language.
In most high schools, there are inadequate American sign language classes to justify hiring full-time sign language tutors. Most high schools lack qualified instructors who would be able to teach American sign language.
It is a requirement in school to include Sign Language as a required subject. This approach can be used to incorporate the deaf community and improve communication skills. Due to the shortage of trained teachers, schools do not provide students with an added language. Similarly, due to the shortage of translators, the invention of AI translating services has given rise to AI-powered contextual translations to achieve efficiency and precision in communication.
Sign language can be of immense benefit to both hearing and deaf students in basic and high schools. Students who are deaf can communicate more effectively, and mainstreamed deaf students can avoid feeling isolated in their schools. Due to the program, a better awareness of the deaf culture is instilled in the community. Let us look into ways sign language can be integrated into mainstream education.
Methods to Incorporate Sign Language in Mainstream Education
There have been several trials to introduce sign language into mainstream education for the deaf and hard of hearing. The common methods are:
- Hiring sign interpreters facilitate the access of information in the classroom.
- Hiring mobile teachers capable of signing in order to provide support for the learning of the deaf and hard of hearing students both in and out of class.
- Forming a classroom for specialists with sign language aid together with a mainstream system, that allows the deaf students to learn in a specialist and inclusive settings.
- Co-enrollment approach. This allows for both hearing students and deaf or hard of hearing students to be enrolled in mainstream classroom.
Conclusion
Integrating the deaf and hard of hearing into the learning setting can play a vital role in improving the entire learning environment in mainstream schools. In some countries, the deaf community is recognized and sign language has largely become a language accepted.
With the various methods applied to incorporate sign language to mainstream schools, we can see a significant move to improve the inclusion of the deaf and hard of hearing communities to schools.
