Research project Promoting the reading of deaf students in sign language-based classrooms

Reading research often assumes that new readers have a more or less developed spoken language in their baggage that they can use when they learn to read. But how does this work for deaf children who have no or only limited access to a spoken language and who have instead grown up with sign language and use it as their primary language? Unfortunately, there is a lack of interventions to support deaf students' reading, e.g., using sign language. The project aims to test and evaluate a newly developed reading material. The reading material is based on signs and words, aiming that the children practice connecting signs, words, and spellings. The goal is to generate new knowledge about deaf people's reading that can be used in teaching and contribute to improved reading skills in deaf children.