Workshop description

This session explores strategies for fostering early language and literacy in deaf, deafblind, deaf-disabled, and hard of hearing children ages 0-3. Participants will learn about research-informed approaches to support language development, cultural representation, and family engagement across home, school, and community settings. The session will highlight the value of native American Sign Language (ASL) storytelling and bilingual experiences in promoting strong language foundations. To illustrate these strategies, presenters will introduce the Bilingual Stories Bookshelf app, a resource developed by the Regional Early Acquisition of Language (REAL) team that offers stories shared by native ASL storytellers and Deaf authors. The app supports early language and literacy acquisition in ASL and English and can be used across home, educational, and community settings as a shared tool to strengthen collaborative language experiences.

Presented by Brian Cheslik and Stacy Abrams.