CUHK
News Centre

To promote sign bilingual education, the Centre for Sign Linguistics and Deaf Studies (CSLDS) of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) launched Asia’s first ‘Sign Bilingualism and Co-enrolment in Deaf Education Programme (the Programme)’ in 2006, with an aim to build a bilingual and inclusive learning environment in a mainstream school setting in which teachers and students, both deaf and hearing, engage themselves in a barrier-free educational process. After years of development, the Programme has won high acclaim from researchers and educators for the deaf at the regional and international level.  A significant milestone is the establishment of a sign bilingual education system from the infant to secondary school level. Over the years, parental support to the Programme that caters for both deaf and hearing children has increased dramatically.  

As private funding from the infant to primary school programmes will expire in July 2014, the Centre has recently held a fundraising event entitled ‘Linking Hands and Hearts Fun Day’ to raise funds for the ‘CUHK Deaf Education Fund’, at the same time to educate the general public about the historical development of sign bilingual education in Hong Kong.  Prof. Gladys Tang, Director of CSLDS, said, ‘The Sign Bilingual Co-enrolment Programme is the first ever deaf education programme in the history of special education in Hong Kong and Asia.  After seven years of persistent efforts of teachers and students, the Programme has earned international support and recognition including that from the UNESCO International Bureau of Education.  Continuous efforts are necessary to build the model in Hong Kong to demonstrate to the world inclusive practices are possible between deaf and hearing students through a sign bilingual and co-enrolment approach.’

At the event, Deaf associations and school students of the Programme presented wonderful performances to show their support. They demonstrated vividly equality and harmony between deaf and hearing people in front of the audiences. Headmasters, parents and students who have been participating in the Programme pointed out the significance of this approach of inclusive education through experience sharing. Families visiting the Plaza were flocking to the booths for the ‘Sign Bilingual Art & Craft Workshops’ and ‘Reading Sign Bilingually’. For the latter event, they experienced sign bilingual teaching conducted by a deaf teacher and a hearing teacher collaboratively. Other than understanding the operation of the sign bilingual classroom, they also experienced the benefits of this multisensory education approach to deaf and hearing children.

The three-day fund raising event at Plaza Hollywood was successfully held with the support of the community.  CSLDS still needs to raise HK$3 million a year in order to keep the Programme running to continue its mission that true inclusive education should be one without barriers.  For more information, please contact Mr. Wong of CSLDS at 3943-1135 or by email: raymond_cslds@cuhk.edu.hk.  The donation form can be downloaded from the following website: http://www.cslds.org/signbi/support/tc/.