American Sign Language Interpreters in Public Schools: An Illusion of Inclusion that Perpetuates Language Deprivation
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COMMENTARY
American Sign Language Interpreters in Public Schools: An Illusion of Inclusion that Perpetuates Language Deprivation Naomi K. Caselli1 · Wyatte C. Hall2 · Jonathan Henner3
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Purpose Many deaf children have limited access to language, spoken or signed, during early childhood – which has damaging effects on many aspects of development. There has been a recent shift to consider deafness and language deprivation as separate but related conditions. As such, educational plans should differentiate between services related to deafness and services related to language deprivation. Description Many deaf children attend mainstream public schools, and the primary service offered to students who use American Sign Language (ASL) is generally a sign language interpreter. Assessment We argue that while sign language interpreters can be an effective accommodation for deafness (i.e., students who are deaf and not language-deprived), there is no reason to believe they are an effective accommodation for language deprivation (i.e., students who are deaf and language-deprived). Conclusion Using interpreters instead of appropriate educational supports may exacerbate symptoms of language deprivation by prolonging the period of time a child goes with limited access to language. Keywords Deaf · Hard of hearing · Language deprivation · Sign language · Interpreter
Significance
Introduction
Interpreters are widely used in deaf education, but the empirical record on the efficacy of interpreted education is sparse. This paper examines the use of sign language interpreters in deaf education through the lens of an emerging understanding of deaf children that separates hearing status from language deprivation (Hall 2017). We review the (lack of) evidence that interpreted education is an effective intervention for children at risk for language deprivation, and argue that there is reason to believe it may actually be harmful to children at risk for language deprivation.
A strong link exists between education and health. A classic example is that education often leads to higher-paying jobs which in turn lead to healthier living (e.g., good health insurance, reduced stress, improved health literacy). Education also plays an important role in the development of social and psychological skills that promote better health. We present one example of a relationship between education and health whereby impoverished educational environments may actually cause or exacerbate negative health outcomes in children who are born deaf or hard of hearing (hereafter, ‘deaf’). In this paper we describe a common practice that is intended to support deaf children—the use of sign language interpreters in a mainstream1 classroom—and argue that improper use of interpreters can actually have serious negative health implications. Even with available interventions and technologies, half of all elementary-aged deaf children with cochlear implants
* Naomi K. Caselli [email protected] 1
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