Bilingual/Bicultural
The Bilingual-Bicultural (bi-bi) method of communication has the fundamental belief that deaf students, like their hearing peers, are capable of acquiring more than one language if those languages are accessible to them in their early years of life. Bi-bi's philosophy is that deaf students should acquire, learn, and use two languages including: 1) their native sign language and 2) their native spoken language. The main goal for this method of communication is to provide and opportunity for students to be academically and linguistically competent in both English and American Sign Language (ASL). By having competence in both ASL and English, deaf students will develop connections with the language and culture of their families and the larger hearing world, as well as forming cultural, social, and linguistic relationships with other deaf children and adults. However, becoming fluent in both ASL and English requires meaningful interactions with adults and children who are also fluent in the languages (Schwatrz 2007).
ASL is Acquired Through:
Four Stages of Students Learning ASL and English:
ASL is Acquired Through:
- Fingerreading
- Fingerspelling
- Reading, Writing, and Typing English
- Lipreading
- Speaking and Listening
Four Stages of Students Learning ASL and English:
- Early Language (early threshold): The student understands and uses signs/words/phrases in ASL and/or English
- Potential Bilingualism (lower threshold): The student understands and uses simple sentences in ASL plus simple sentences in English
- Developing Bilingualism (higher threshold): The student understands and uses ASL at an age appropriate level in ASL plus understands and makes simple sentences in English
- Proficient Bilingualism: The student functions at age appropriate levels in both ASL and English