A Case Study on Accessible Reading for Deaf Children

Cripps, Supalla, & Blackburn (2020)

The concept of accessible reading for deaf students is new and worthy of exploration. In the face of the reading difficulties often experienced by deaf students, the lack of a specialized reading methodology that works for them must be addressed. This research case study undertaken with two young deaf students, proficient in American Sign Language (ASL) and learning to read. The students participated in a tutorial with a tutor knowledgeable in a specialized reading methodology called ASL Gloss. The participating students demonstrated progress in reading over time. Two reading measures were adapted from English to ASL for use with deaf students. The reading measures under development here appear to promote the process of learning to read as informed by the quantitative and qualitative data. These findings support the need and promise of pursuing an alternative theory and applied research for deaf students' reading that accounts for their ability to become fluent readers.