Textbook help for deaf people: China
BEIJING, June 30 –– The country's first set of textbooks for the
deaf people to learn English have been produced in Shanghai.
Four teachers at Shanghai Deaf–Mute Youth Technical School have
spent six years compiling the books, and their students will be the
first to use them.
"It's not at all strange for deaf and mute people to learn English,"
said Ji Rongfang, one of the compilers. "They can't hear or speak
Chinese, but they have learnt Chinese characters to read books and
newspapers."
Textbooks for grade one English have been printed and will soon be
used in the school while the rest are being revised.
Although there has been a rise in educational qualifications for
deaf and mute students, English has not been part of their compulsory
nine–year education.
They normally start to learn English at high school, but high school
education for disabled people in China is still in the early stages of
development.
Most schools for disabled people use ordinary English textbooks, which
do not take into account the needs of deaf and mute students. The
special textbooks compiled by the four Shanghai teachers emphasize
reading and grammar, and use many colorful pictures.
Source: Shanghai Daily
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