Everything you always wanted to know about ASL/English bimodal bilingual education

Image: Dr. Laurene Simms (left), professor of education at Gallaudet University, and Susanne Scott (right),
cochlear implant bilingual specialist at the Clerc Center, have given numerous workshops at locations
around the country on the topic of “Implementing an ASL/English Bilingual Early Childhood
Program.” In January 2011, Simms and Scott traveled to Washington State to present at the Birney
School in Tacoma. They are pictured here with Paul Bert, sign language coordinator, from Tacoma
Public Schools.

Dr. Laurene Simms (left), professor of education at Gallaudet University, and Susanne Scott (right), cochlear implant bilingual specialist at the Clerc Center, have given numerous workshops at locations around the country on the topic of “Implementing an ASL/English Bilingual Early Childhood Program.” In January 2011, Simms and Scott traveled to Washington State to present at the Birney School in Tacoma. They are pictured here with Paul Bert, sign language coordinator, from Tacoma Public Schools.

The first Clerc Center webinar for 2012 entitled, "Everything You Always Wanted to Know about ASL/English Bimodal Bilingual Education," will be presented by Susanne Scott, cochlear implant bilingual specialist at the Clerc Center, and Dr. Laurene Simms, professor of education at Gallaudet University. Bilingual and bimodal refer to the development of competency in two languages and the use of one spoken language and one signed language (spoken and signed are the "modes" to which "bimodal" refers). The Clerc Center has developed its new webinar series with the convenience of the audience in mind. The webinars are presented in American Sign Language (ASL) with a spoken English voiceover and captions. The ASL/English webinar will be broadcast as a two-part series on January 12 and February 9, from 7-8 p.m. each evening.

About the presenters
Simms and Scott have given numerous workshops at locations around the country on the topic of "Implementing an ASL/English Bilingual Early Childhood Program." They have presented a series of five workshops designed for early childhood teachers and staff working at various programs across Washington State in 2011. Two "live" presentations were scheduled at the Birney Elementary School in Tacoma, Washington on January 27 and May 20. These presentations were webcast to seven sites across the state. In addition, they gave three videoconferences, hosted by Gallaudet University, on February, 25, March 11, and April 29. They will return this year to present to families and educators from four northwest states.

About the webinar
The "Everything You Always Wanted to Know about ASL/English Bimodal Bilingual Education" webinar was developed primarily for parents and caregivers. The first part will provide an overview of ASL and English bilingual early childhood education and the research supporting its positive impact on ASL and spoken language acquisition. "We will provide parents of young deaf and hard of hearing children with an introduction to the myths vs. facts related to bilingual education, and show the research findings that support the success of this model," said Scott. The second part will discuss how families can support successful bilingual bimodal development to maximize the cognitive, social, and emotional development of each child along a visual to auditory, signed to spoken languages continuum.