The Council for Exceptional Children 1110 N. Glebe Rd. In the late 1980's discussion of bilingual-bicultural education for children who are Deaf brought about new theories. A person who is bicultural can move freely within and between two different cultures.
Bilingualism involves the ability to use two different languages successfully.
They are considered bicultural if they are capable of functioning in both the Deaf community and the majority culture. Although there is no standardized formula defining bilingual-bicultural programs, they are founded on a common set of principles. A basic premise of bilingual-bicultural education is that all children should develop communicative competency. This is a challenge because more than 90 percent of children who are Deaf have hearing parents or caregivers who must learn ASL as a second language. What suffers is the ability to learn grammar.