>To add to what Chris has rightly said re. Deaf students:
>
>Chris wrote:
>
>>
>>There is a huge difference between Deaf people and people from other
>>countries who speak different languages, and that is that people from other
>>countries can hear, they can acquire English in the same way they could
>>acquire any other spoken language, through their ears, Deaf people cannot.
>>
>>Much has been written on the acquisition of language by Deaf people, perhaps
>>some background reading might help.
>
>To which I would add:
>
>One of the issues is that while educators know how to teach English to
>hearing people, as a second language, hearing people do NOT know how to
>teach English to (profoundly) deaf children/adults. Hence the low
>literacy rates among Deaf people. Hearing society therefore
>disadvantages Deaf people by, albeit unintentionally, preventing access
>to written English.
>
>If we could solve this problem and could provide Deaf people with full
>access to written English, there would be no need for additional time,
>as Deaf students would then be in a similar position to other speakers
>of English as a second language. Until then, Deaf people are disabled by
>the hearing world.
>
>However, if there was Deaf student who was genuinely bilingual, would
>there then be a case for extra time? What do you think, Chris and
>others?
>
>Claire
>
>
--
Claire Wickham
Director of Programmes, Research and Development
Access Unit for Deaf and Disabled Students
Union Building, University of Bristol,
Queen's Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1LN
Tel: 0117 954 5710 (voice)
0117 954 5715 (textphone)
Fax: 0117 954 5714
--- End Forwarded Message ---
----------------------
Claire Wickham
Director: Programmes, Research and Development
Access Unit
University of Bristol
Union Building
Queen's Road
Clifton
Bristol BS8 1LN
Tel: 0117 954 5710
Textphone: 0117 954 5715
Fax: 0117 954 5714
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