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May 2017 Vol. 54 No. 9


Gallaudet University Press


The following review appeared in the May 2017 issue of CHOICE. The review is for your internal use only. Please review our Permission and Reprints Guidelines or email permissions@ala-choice.org.

Social & Behavioral Sciences

54-4305
HV2580
MARC
Change and promise: bilingual deaf education and deaf culture in Latin America, ed. by Barbara Gerner de Garcia and Lodenir Becker Karnopp. Gallaudet, 2016. 245p bibl index ISBN 9781563686740, $70.00; ISBN 9781563686757 ebook, $70.00.

This edited collection examines the degree to which Latin American nations have embraced the educational needs of their respective Deaf populations. Comprised of 13 essays, the volume covers themes ranging from longstanding debates over sign language and oralist traditions, inclusive education models, and the use of media and technology as forms of activism. Similar to other recent works on this topic,the book positions educational successes and shortcomings on the local level within the context of national deaf education policy. Authors examine reforms that include improved teacher training to eliminate discrimination of Deaf students, the creation of inclusive learning environments, and the use of multiple forms of assessment to improve literacy. Most importantly, the work draws attention to the need to make education more accessible to the Deaf, and offers nuanced discussion of the complexity of Deaf culture(s), highlighting the fact that Deaf cultures are as varied as hearing cultures. More historical context would have enriched the collection, but overall, this is a welcome addition to existing scholarship on Deaf communities in an often-overlooked geographical region of the world.

--H. Caldwell, Susquehanna University

Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic levels/libraries.