Historical Development of Hong Kong Sign Language
The study explored the introduction and nature of Deaf education in Hong Kong, the of sign language in Deaf education in the early days, whether there were locally developed signs before the Nanjing/Shanghai signs came about in the 1950s and where and when they emerged, and how the local signs blended with the Nanjing/Shanghai signs that brought about the evolution of Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL) (Sze, Lo, Lo & Chu, 2013).
An overview of the history of Deaf education in Hong Kong is outlined. There were signing schools and oral schools in Hong Kong, and the focus later shifted to mainstreaming. The Education Department later published a Sign Language Handbook which was not well received by the oral deaf schools. Policy changes caused a drop in enrollment of students who studied in Deaf schools which eventually led to them closing down. Currently, majority of children with hearing loss attend mainstream schools with no sign language support. The authors details how the local signs developed among the Deaf students from the Hong Kong School for the Deaf, and the Shanghai/Nanjing signs were introduced by the Overseas Chinese School for the Deaf and Dumb between the 1950s and 1960s. The diminishing role of HKSL due to the emphasis on oralism in the 1970s, is also highlighted.
Reference
Sze, F., Lo, C., Lo, L., & Chu, K. (2013). Historical development of Hong Kong sign language. Sign Language Studies, 13(2), 155-185.
An overview of the history of Deaf education in Hong Kong is outlined. There were signing schools and oral schools in Hong Kong, and the focus later shifted to mainstreaming. The Education Department later published a Sign Language Handbook which was not well received by the oral deaf schools. Policy changes caused a drop in enrollment of students who studied in Deaf schools which eventually led to them closing down. Currently, majority of children with hearing loss attend mainstream schools with no sign language support. The authors details how the local signs developed among the Deaf students from the Hong Kong School for the Deaf, and the Shanghai/Nanjing signs were introduced by the Overseas Chinese School for the Deaf and Dumb between the 1950s and 1960s. The diminishing role of HKSL due to the emphasis on oralism in the 1970s, is also highlighted.
Reference
Sze, F., Lo, C., Lo, L., & Chu, K. (2013). Historical development of Hong Kong sign language. Sign Language Studies, 13(2), 155-185.
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