Our Bilingual Bicultural Framework

CSDB offers an ASL and English two-way immersion bilingual learning environment, one that, in the words of Policy IHBE-1, “builds upon the strengths of the students’ first language as a bridge to fluency in the second language.” It is pedagogy by design — and the policy names its purpose plainly:

“Based on research and best practices for Deaf students, CSDB believes ASL and English bilingual education fosters positive self-esteem, confidence, resilience, and identity.”

Every adult on campus carries this commitment. Staff “serve as language models for Deaf students” and communicate in ASL “so that students have access to language models and incidental learning” — because language belongs to students everywhere: in classrooms, dorms, hallways, and play. Research demonstrates that early access to fully accessible natural language supports cognitive development, literacy acquisition, academic achievement, and social-emotional well-being. For Deaf, Deafblind learners, bilingual approaches that intentionally develop ASL, ProTacticle ASL and English create stronger outcomes.

This philosophy lives in daily instruction. Fingerspelling Our Way to Reading plugs directly into the science of reading, using the fingerspelling–print connection as a phonological bridge to decoding. The Bilingual Grammar Curriculum builds explicit metalinguistic awareness of how ASL and English each work — and how they differ — while Rigby Leveled Reading supports guided, assessment-driven literacy growth. Across all of it, teachers make clear, intentional connections between print English and ASL during every lesson, so translanguaging is a taught skill, not an accident.

Our framework and our brand speak with one voice. Our Commitment declares CSDB “a Deaf and Blind-led academy where language, leadership, and learning converge to generate agency.” Our value of Linguistic Power affirms that ASL and Braille, as well as ProTactile ASL, are sovereign — languages that generate power, presence, and growth. Lived Leadership means this framework is shaped by those who live the experience. Generative Knowledge means Deaf and Blind ways of knowing don’t just receive instruction — they shape how we learn. Bilingual bicultural education is our Aspiration in practice: building generations of thinkers, makers, and leaders who set new standards and transform the world, fostering self-advocacy, leadership, and belonging. Students will develop positive Deaf, DeafBlind, and multilingual identities.

We honor this framework by unpacking and analyzing it. “Bicultural” has historically named two cultures — Deaf and hearing. Our students have more lived experiences. Many are Latinx, Black, and beyond, and our community spans a rich range of ethnicities, home languages, and family cultures – we recognize that families are essential language partners. A student may navigate ASL, English, and Spanish; Deaf culture, Latinx culture, and family traditions — all at once, all authentically. In the coming work, we will take a deeper look at this framework and expand its definition toward Bilingual with a Multicultural Lens — or beyond. That means:

•      Treating home languages and cultures as assets and bridges, never barriers — the same strengths-based logic IHBE-1 applies to ASL and honors family languages and cultures.

•      Seeing students’ intersectional identities — Deaf and Latinx, DeafBlind and multilingual — as whole, not divided.

•      Offering Deafhood learning opportunities that foster Deaf identity, cultural knowledge, and self-advocacy, and leadership.

•      Supporting staff in developing bilingual instructional practices through professional learning and coaching. 

•      Partnering with families in the languages and cultural frames they bring, so identity and belonging extend from campus to home.

•      Providing ongoing ASL Language assessments to monitor student language development and guide instructional decision-making and individualized language growth in both ASL and English.

•      Maintaining language-rich environments across classrooms, residential settings, extracurricular activities, and campus life.

Language development is not an end in itself. Through ASL, English, Deafhood, and culturally responsive learning experiences, students develop the knowledge, confidence, identity, and agency to own their ascent and lead within their communities and beyond.

Language generates agency. Culture generates belonging. When every student’s full linguistic and cultural self is welcomed, they don’t just access education — they own their ascent.