Teaching and Learning Signed Languages pp 35-64 | Cite as
Developing Deaf Communities through Sign Language Teacher Training
Abstract
The development of sign language teaching as a community and professional endeavor has been closely associated with the documentation, promotion, and recognition of signed languages in many countries. In most places, though, the availability of formal training for Deaf people as language teachers has lagged behind the demand for instructors in settings such as training programs for sign language interpreters and teachers of the Deaf. Like teachers of other minority languages that have been rapidly promoted or revived in the public domain (such as Te Reo Māori in New Zealand), many Deaf sign language teachers have developed their practices and expertise through experience, informal apprenticeship, and ad hoc professional development opportunities rather than through formal preparation. For Deaf people whose primary language is a signed language, study of second language teaching in mainstream programs is hindered by accessibility and literacy barriers to higher education in general (see Quinn and Turner, this volume). Deaf communities’ interest in retaining control of sign language teaching and promoting wider learning of sign language has given rise to specialized teacher training initiatives, which have often been established collaboratively between a Deaf organization and an academic institution. Sign language teacher training opportunities now range from non-credit-bearing courses and workshops to academic programs that award vocational or university qualifications at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Keywords
Sign Language American Sign Deaf People Deaf Community Deaf IndividualPreview
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