CREATION OF AN ACCESSIBLE LANGUAGE ENVIRONMENT FOR PRESCHOOLERS: NEED AND CHALLENGES

Abstract

The thematic pilot study breaks down the methodology of sign bilingualism, where the cohort of deaf preschool children is a unique language group a) with (non)using of sign and verbal languages ​​as the first (native), socially significant language; b) those who identify as members of the deaf or hearing community: c) those who may never fully develop a first language, will not receive enough lingual social input at an early stage - the sensitive age (0-5 years).

Methods. the collection of information was ensured: interviews with parents, mentors-specialists who work in the conditions of the language environment of schools based on the understanding of their own experience from work (Hale&Napier, 2013), which helped to create a picture of current practice, including strategies, statistical-mathematical method, analysis, generalization and conclusion. The collection of information lasted for two years from December 2021 to June 2023.

Participants: mothers of deaf children.

Statistics. In Ukraine, such deaf children consistently occupy the sixth place among other groups of children with special educational needs, which is 0.78% of the total number of children of preschool age (2021), 0.75% of children in (2023) who receive preschool education in groups of special, inclusive education.

Characteristic of schools. Preschool education is provided along with traditional pre-school special education groups at special educational institutions, educational rehabilitation centers, and inclusive education groups, where 68.4% of children with hearing impairments receive educational services. The teaching content does not consider Ukrainian sign language either as a social first language or as a second language. Such children in an impoverished language environment, together with hearing parents, who adhere to the medical model of deafness, expose children to ineffective communication, communication limitations, lack of information, depriving their children of the fundamental right to communicate and acquire the basis for successful learning.

The position of sign bilingualism is substantiated, where without ensuring the importance of communication, the educational system is not able to effectively satisfy linguistic, communicative, academic needs, the strategies of communicative interactions in an accessible linguistic environment are highlighted.

Conclusions. This pilot thematic study is based on the socio-cultural model of deafness, begins to create a picture of the current trends in the development of communication of deaf and hearing-impaired children of early age in groups of special and inclusive education, the features of the content, the specifics of the activity of specialist mentors with preschool children based on the acquisition and use of Ukrainian sign language, examples of deaf adults, the use of communicative strategies to create a reliable basis for the development of communication and successful education.