Massachusetts FAQ

It is a Kindergarten-Readiness (K-R) campaign where we assert that language deprivation or delays between ages 0-5 is the main cause of Deaf children’s eventual reading, academic, and social struggles.

LEAD-K is a national campaign to promote language acquisition and kindergarten-readiness for Deaf and hard of hearing toddlers and youth aged 0-5.  The campaign intends to propel state-level legislative, litigation, and social media efforts. The steering committee consists of representatives of schools, community agencies, parent organizations, associations of the Deaf, and allies such as legal advocates.

The LEAD-K campaign team has developed a quick at a glance printable for you to print or to share. Please click here.

The LEAD-K campaign team has developed a mythbusters printable for you to print or to share. The purpose of these mythbusters is to address misinformation about the LEAD-K bill. The goal of LEAD-K is to ensure a foundation for English literacy among Deaf and hard of hearing children whether they use one or both languages, American Sign Language and English for K-readiness.  Please click here.

Because of misguided and misinformed principles, policy, and ideology, Deaf children frequently arrive at Kindergarten without adequate language skills to undertake academic challenges.

With the traditional and misguided intervention focus on speech skills development, our Deaf children, who are visually oriented, do not get full access to language. Without access to language, they may demonstrate deficiencies in cognitive development specifically executive functioning such as memory, planning, attention, relations, critical thinking, and conceptual learning. Those skills are essential to achieving academically and in everyday activities.

Language is a rule-governed system used to convey messages. It can be signed, spoken, or read/written. Speech, on the other hand, is a code for English.

ASL is a human right that belongs to all Deaf children ensuring them to acquire both a natural and visual language and a bridge to acquiring the national language, English. ASL is a human right, not merely an option (Rosen 2008).

Parents, understandably, believe that teaching them how to talk is the only way to ensure success in the world.

Parents need information to make more informed decisions. The information about ASL is frequently not shared with families.

Early identification and intervention programs include screening of infants. This includes providing families of newly identified Deaf infants with intervention services. One of the goals of the government-funded National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management are to provide infants with hearing loss “…with timely and appropriate audiological, educational, and medical interventions.”

Unfortunately, the medical approach is to seek cures. There is rarely mention of language development that is essential to successful social, emotional, and educational development. Without language skills, the Deaf child will have academic and life struggles for the rest of their lives.

Our state/federal governments are funding their misguided and ideological efforts without adequate – or even any — input from the ASL-Deaf community. Deaf adults are those young children, fully grown, with intrinsic knowledge and skills which could be of great help to families with young children and those serving them.

Intentionally ignorant people are fully aware of facts, resources, and sources, but refuse to acknowledge them.

There is a huge body of research touting benefits of ASL, more specifically its benefits for Deaf children and their families. Likewise, there is another body of research debunking myths of signed languages harming the ability to speak.

Furthermore, there is a large body of anecdotes from Deaf adults with their “life experiences” from which we can learn. Deaf people have intrinsic experience and expertise and should be involved in all aspects of early identification and intervention, along with parents.

Foremost, the hearing levels of Deaf children are not the problem. It is the critical lack of or ineffective access to language. Deprivation of and delayed access to language are two potential causes of reading and academic failures.

Our Deaf children are perfectly capable of achieving Kindergarten-Readiness through both American Sign Language (ASL) and English (reading and writing).

All families with Deaf children should be given the same opportunity to learn American Sign Language

There must be language benchmarks and systemic accountability for outcomes. Deaf children must be tested for language development when they are first identified, as infants and every three months afterwards, from age 0 to 5. Waiting until early elementary grades will cause irrevocable developmental harm to the child. The parents should be informed about the benefits of ASL and provided with opportunities and resources to learn ASL.

It is important to realize speech is NOT language.

We actually do not oppose speech skills development, but that would be putting the cart before the horse. Our Deaf children need language input first. With an acquired language, they can then acquire speech.  Research shows that children with one language acquire a second language more easily.

It is important to know that language involves more than just communication. With language, people develop cognition and all associated neurological functions.

American Sign Language is a natural visual language that helps all babies, not just Deaf babies, to gain cognition, communications, and connections before they are ready to speak.

Absolutely YES! Research results show that Deaf children of Deaf families achieve highly developed language, academic, and social skills and success in life as leaders and productive members of society.

Our Deaf children are perfectly capable but they cannot do it with stunted language development due to misguided ideologies of ableism and normalcy.

Most school programs are more focused on hearing and speech therapy as results of such misguided policies focusing on speaking skills.

Deaf = a generic term which includes a range of hearing levels from hard of hearing to those who are more Deaf.