Fingerspelling and literacy skills in deaf and hard of hearing children

In this presentation, Nancy Bridenbaugh discusses fingerspelling as a tool for literacy development in children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). Nancy provides a review of reading theory to demonstrate the link between print word recognition and language comprehension as components of reading comprehension.

In exploring how children learn to fingerspell, Nancy draws on practical examples from her own practice to demonstrate how word recognition and fingerspelling skills can be improved through systematic and structured instruction.

The presentation draws on research and practice from the Fingerspelling our Way to Reading program; a literacy program designed specifically for DHH children that supplements a school’s literacy curriculum. The program is facilitated by the Center on Literacy and Deafness (CLAD), in collaboration with researchers from the University of Colorado, Georgia State University and other US Universities. The program aims to enhance the phonological awareness of fingerspelled words to increase expressive and receptive fingerspelling skills and the identification and understanding of printed words.

The Fingerspelling our Way to Reading program has been adapted to the Australian context through a professional partnership between the Victorian Deaf Education Institute and the Queensland Department of Education and Training.

VDEI recommend the use of Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari (Macintosh users only) as the preferred web browsers to seamlessly register and access this learning.

Please note – Victorian Department of Education staff can access this professional learning offering free of charge. Enter your @education.vic.gov.au email address during the registration process to ensure the registration fee is waivered.

Participants will be able to:

• Discuss the theory and research relating to Fingerspelling and Literacy Skills in DHH Children
• Identify and explain reading predictors in DHH children
• Describe Fingerspelling as a phonological system
• Interpret results of a nationwide, randomised controlled trial.

Nancy Bridenbaugh is currently a Research Associate with the Center on Literacy and Deafness (CLAD), at the University of Colorado, Boulder working in collaboration with researchers from Georgia State University and other US universities. The CLAD research project focuses on a program that develops phonological awareness through fingerspelling for deaf and hard of hearing children in the early years of school.

Nancy earned her Masters degree in Deaf Education and has been a teacher of deaf children as well as a mentor for teachers. She served as the Director of the Gallaudet University Regional Center in Hawaii and was the Director of Rocky Mountain Deaf School, a bilingual charter school in Denver, Colorado.

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This On-Demand presentation is delivered in spoken English with captioning

Participants who successfully complete this On-Demand Presentation will receive a certificate noting 2 hours of professional learning.