Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children experience systematic barriers to equitable education due to intentional or unintentional ableist views that can lead to a general lack of awareness about the value of natural sign languages and insufficient resources supporting sign language development. Furthermore, an imbalance of information in favor of spoken languages often stems from a phonocentric perspective that views signing as an inferior form of communication that also hinders the development of spoken language. On the contrary, research demonstrates that early adoption of a natural sign language confers critical protection from the risks of language deprivation without endangering spoken language development. In this position paper, we draw attention to deep societal biases about language in the information presented to parents of DHH children, against early exposure to a natural sign language. We outline actions that parents and professionals can adopt to maximize DHH children’s chances for on-time language development.

由于有意或无意的体能歧视观点，聋哑和听力障碍 (DHH) 儿童在公平教育方面遇到系统性障碍，这可能导致人们普遍缺乏对自然手语价值的认识，并且支持手语发展的资源不足。此外，有利于口语的信息不平衡往往源于以语音为中心的观点，该观点认为手语是一种低级的交流形式，也阻碍了口语的发展。相反，研究表明，早期采用自然手语可以为免受语言剥夺风险提供重要保护，同时又不会危及口语发展。在这篇立场文件中，我们提请注意向 DHH 儿童父母提供的信息中关于语言的深层社会偏见，反对早期接触自然手语。我们概述了家长和专业人士可以采取的行动，以最大限度地提高 DHH 儿童按时语言发展的机会。