Sondra, a six year old first grader, is 50% Deaf (she is only able to hear 50% of sounds). Her family members-none of whom are Deaf and know sign
language- learned that Sondra was partially Deaf when she was an infant. Since Sondra's family has learned of her Deafness, they made sure that
Sondra's first language was sign language and that Sondra received support from a native sign language speaker. Sondra's family wanted that Sondra first
develop age and grade-level appropriate language abilities in sign language, her native language. Also, Sondra's family encouraged Sondra to practice
listening and speaking in the hearing, majority language with the support of hearing aids. Now, that Sondra is in school. She receives instruction in both
sign language and the hearing language. She is also learning how to read and write in the majority language. Sondra prefers to speak by signing, but she
also can communicate in the hearing majority language if needed, but with some difficulty in pronunciation and listening comprehension.
Which of the following would best describes the form of educational experiences Sondra receives?
additive bilingualism
subtractive bilingualism
Traditional Approach
Deafness as a Disability
