Survey of Writing Instruction Methods for Deaf Students

Bell Hall 015

American Sign Language (ASL) has its own grammar that is distinct from English. This causes issues for deaf ASL users because written English is a necessity for many daily and academic functions in the US. There is much debate about what teaching methods are most effective for deaf students, but there is a movement towards an evolution of teaching practices because studies have shown that deaf ASL users have far lower reading and writing proficiency levels than their hearing peers. This paper surveys recent research studies that focus on the writing proficiency of deaf students in bilingual education curriculums, segregated institutions, and mainstream classrooms.