Mary Kuhlman, Managing Editor
Monday, April 28, 2014
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - American Sign Language (ASL) is the common form of communication among members of the deaf community, but signing does not provide every component or "phoneme" of spoken language. In Illinois, some hearing-impaired students are improving their literacy through the use of Cued Speech. A.G. Bell Montessori-AEHI in Wheeling is the only Montessori school in the country that mainstreams both deaf and hearing children through Cued Speech.
Sandy Mosetick, board president of the school, explains that Cued Speech has eight hand shapes and four positions around the mouth to represent all phonemes of speech.
"It makes lip-reading into an exact science," she said. "It provides full visual access to spoken language, and the whole point is so that a deaf person can learn English and be literate, and reach their full potential academically."
Cued Speech was developed more than 30 years ago, but has faced challenges being accepted in the deaf community. Mosetick says it was never meant to replace traditional signing, and adds that Cued Speech can be learned in a few days and has been adapted to more than 60 languages.
Outside the classroom, Mosetick says, Cued Speech also allows those who don't know ASL to easily convey English to those who cannot hear.
"Ninty-three percent of deaf kids have hearing parents, who never had any experience before with deafness and don't know how to sign, and it would take them a long time to learn sign and then to be able to communicate with their own child."
Angela Kuhn, PreK-8 principal at the Illinois School for the Deaf, says American Sign Language is valuable in school, but has limitations in a learning environment because students have to translate ASL into English. She says they've seen great academic results since introducing Cued Speech into the curriculum a few years ago.
"The national average for deaf students is that they improve about two to three months in an entire school year," she noted. "So, we've seen some students who have been able to improve a grade level or more in one school year, which is amazing."
Kuhn says the school works to balance the use of sign and cuing in a bilingual environment, to help students become more fluent in English and have academic success. At an event Sunday night, A.G. Bell honored the Illinois School for the Deaf for its achievements in Cued Speech.
get more stories like this via email
![more stories](/assets/images/more-stories.png)
Social Issues
Gov. Spencer Cox is calling for unity as well as the condemnation of political violence in light of the assassination attempt on former President …
Environment
Last week, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee heard testimony on the state and federal response to the collapse of the Key Bridge…
Environment
Forecasters are warning New Englanders to prepare for an "above-normal" number of hurricanes this summer. Hurricane Beryl was already the strongest …
Environment
A Michigan environmental group is addressing an appeal challenging the state's decision to approve the enclosure of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline…
Social Issues
Civil rights groups are sounding the alarm about potential threats to American democracy posed by Project 2025, a roadmap created by the Heritage …
Social Issues
A coalition of South Dakota groups is voicing its opposition to a ballot measure intended to end a state sales tax on consumables. If passed this …
Social Issues
North Dakota officials will highlight a new project today to boost childcare access for parents with nontraditional work hours. A local provider …
Social Issues
With just over a month before Indiana university students return, a new law affecting college professor tenures is in full effect. The law targets …