Communication & Language Policy:
The Communication & Language philosophy at St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf is designed to meet the needs of all our students and employees. St. Francis recognizes that open and abundant communication plays an important role in human development. The school affirms the right for students and employees to have access to, and to understand all communications within St. Francis, and to be understood. It is required that all employees provide that access to communication by signing whenever a deaf adult or student is present. It is essential that all employees have appropriate signing skills to fulfill their job duties. Multimodal and Multilingual approaches are used, included American Sign Language, Spoken English, Written English, and Augmentative & Alternative Communication.
Two Languages:
American Sign Language and English are two different languages. Therefore, the two languages should not be used simultaneously. Assigning a sign to each spoken word cannot work without doing damage to both languages. We make sure to use the correct sign language and the correct English. However, sometimes a visual aid can make communication easier for someone who has difficulty hearing speech. In these cases, we borrow signs from American Sign Language in order to make visual spoken communication. This should not be confused with American Sign Language, which has its own grammar and a different word order from English.
Augmentative & Alternative Communication:
Some deaf students with multiple disabilities may receptively comprehend language either through American Sign Language or spoken English. However, some may not be able to express language through American Sign Language or spoken English. It is therefore essential that other methods of expressive communication are established. The overall aim of the provision of augmentative & alternative communication is to provide each student with an effective mode to initiate and maintain a communicative interaction with as large an audience as possible. Therefore, some students use other modes to express themselves including Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), mid tech devices (i.e.- simple voice output devices) and high-tech devices (i.e., iPads with speech generating software). Language planning is an ongoing process supported by continuous use of data collection and evidence-based practices. Augmentative & Alternative Communication systems are carefully selected and implemented systemically to ensure students effectively communicate and develop language skills.
