Sign Assisted Instruction Programme

Sign Assisted Instruction Programme
Formation	February 2012; 13 years ago
Founder	Lutheran School For The Deaf; (funded by the Quality Education Fund)
Type	Assisted instruction programme
Purpose	Deaf education
Location	Hong Kong;
Website	www.lsd.edu.hk/hs

The Sign Assisted Instruction Programme (Chinese: 手語輔助教學計劃) is carried out by the Lutheran School For The Deaf starting from February 2012 with funding from the Quality Education Fund.^[1]

Background

Most deaf students have cochlear implants subsidized by the Hong Kong government installed, but the senior communications officer of Equal Opportunities Commission, Chen Jie-zhen, pointed out that the ability of cochlear implants is limited. There are reports from students stating that only faint sounds can be heard most of the time and the implant cannot resolve learning difficulties. The Lutheran School For The Deaf teaches verbally, assisted by sign language so that students can learn more easily.^[2]

However, Hong Kong lacks an unified and complete sign language.^[3] Most sign languages are created by different local deaf organizations so a vocabulary may have several expressions. Moreover, most vocabularies are about daily life and specialized vocabularies related to education are insufficient.^[4]

Goals

From February 2012 to January 2015, a three-year plan is carried out. The goals are:^[1]^[5]^[6]

Ensure teachers teach both verbally and with sign language
Establish a sign language education resource center
Sort out common sign language vocabularies to help deaf students systematically construct one common sign language to facilitate communication and learning
Develop specialized vocabularies for school subjects to help deaf students understand course content and consolidate learnt materials
Provide sign language training for teachers to facilitate teaching
Promote atmosphere of learning sign language
Support learning of sign language by relatives of deaf students
Provide deaf students and special needs teaching staff with channels for learning sign language to assist in learning and teaching

From February 2015 to July 2017, a two-year plan is carried out. The goals are:^[1]^[7]

Optimize visual sign language dictionary continuously to help deaf students balance sign language and oral development
Develop convenient sign language learning tool to promote development of sign language
Create a good listening atmosphere to decrease learning differences
Help teachers and deaf students to develop continuously
Develop perks of deaf students and provide vocational sign language training
Facilitate communication between deaf students and their parents
Promote sign language and deaf culture to foster school communion and professional interschool exchanges

Reception

The founder of Silence, Polly Lam, said that the number of special schools for the deaf in Hong Kong has decreased from three to one. She also pointed out that previous special schools do not teach sign language so students who are deaf completely are forced to listen with little hearing ability or lip read. As a result, students cannot learn fully. Even if the family can afford tutoring, it wastes time. It makes students lose interest in learning and feel frustrated.^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "手語輔助教學計劃" [The Sign Assisted Instruction Programme]. The Lutheran School For The Deaf (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
^ "新學制考試令聽障生難圓大學夢" [New Academic Structure Makes it Harder for the Deaf to Enter University]. Shuo Online (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 28 September 2013. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
^ Siu, Wai Yan Rebecca (2016). Sociolinguistic Variation in Hong Kong Sign Language (PDF) (PhD thesis). Victoria University of Wellington. p. 285. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021. The results of the current study confirm that variation in HKSL is pervasive, but it is not in a state of 'chaos.'
^ "手說話多做事路德會啟聾學校" [Speak with Hands, Do More Things, the Lutheran School For The Deaf]. Grateful Heart (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
^ "計劃撮要" [Plan Summary] (PDF). Quality Education Fund Cyber Resource Centre (in Chinese). Quality Education Fund. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
^ "計劃總結報告" [Plan Report] (PDF). Quality Education Fund Cyber Resource Centre (in Chinese). Quality Education Fund. 31 January 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
^ "計劃撮要" [Plan Summary] (PDF). Quality Education Fund Cyber Resource Centre (in Chinese). Quality Education Fund. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
^ "「龍耳社」李鸝 ── 為聾人利益打拼" ["Silence" Polly Lam - Fighting for Interests of the Deaf]. 信網手機版 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong Economic Journal. 13 June 2014. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2017.