Bulletin No. 2, 2013

Prof. Gladys Tang Receives Humanity Award   35  P rof. Gladys Tang , director of the Centre for Sign Linguistics and Deaf Studies at CUHK, has devoted herself to linguistics, sign bilingualism and inclusive education research to make life more pleasant for deaf members of society. She was presented the Hong Kong Humanity Award 2013 by the Hong Kong Red Cross and Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) in May in recognition of her efforts at enlivening and putting into practice the spirit of humanity. Professor Tang said, ‘It is my hope that the award will raise awareness in society that language, whether signed or spoken, has an effect on the personal development and cultivation of self-value of the hearing impaired.’ Professor Tang has been conducting linguistic research on Hong Kong sign language and deaf children’s acquisition of signed language and spoken language since the 1990s. She has noticed prevalent misconceptions about signed language. For example, many people think sign language will weaken one’s other language abilities and that it cannot express complicated concepts and feelings. However, her research shows that the development of sign, oral and written languages complement each other. If deaf students are good in sign language, their oral and written languages are also good. According to linguistic analysis, sign language is a natural language different from oral and written languages. It is grammatically and structurally complete, a well- developed tool for expressing thoughts as well as emotions. The misconception has undermined the use of sign language to educate deaf students, resulting in them being denied equal oppor tunities for education and employment. Professor Tang is determined to improve deaf students’ opportunities for higher education. She hopes that, besides the oralist approach, deaf students may enjoy the benefits of the sign bilingual approach in their education, i.e. being taught in both signed and spoken languages. With funding support from the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Professor Tang embarked on the Jockey Club Sign Bilingualism and Co-enrolment in Deaf Education Programme (JC-SLCO) in 2006 at a primary school and a kindergarten. A class of each grade will take about six deaf students. Classes are taught by two teachers—one hearing, one deaf. They prepare course materials and teach with both sign language and oral expression. Professor Tang said, ‘Deaf students are taught sign language which helps them to acquire knowledge effectively. They also learn how to speak, which enables them to communicate with others. On the other hand, hearing children can learn sign language and how to be caring.’ From a survey conducted by the Hong Kong Society for the Deaf, the passing rate in Chinese, English and mathematics subjects of deaf students in the JC-SLCO programme is 80 to 90%, about 30% higher than those of deaf students in mainstream schools. The programme was extended to secondary school level this September. It has been added to the database of good practices for inclusive education by the UNESCO International Bureau of Education and the Gulf Arab States Educational Research Centre to provide policy-makers, schools, teachers, and other stakeholders with concrete evidence and relevant examples of inclusive education. In Hong Kong, starting last year, the Child Assessment Centre under the Department of Health will introduce parents with deaf children to the JC-SLCO programme, especially those whose toddlers are confirmed to suffer from hearing impairment. This allows them to develop mastery of both oral expression and sign language concurrently when they are at a crucial age for language acquisition.