Politics and bilingual education for deaf children in Hong Kong

Fieldwork was conducted in March 1996 and 1997 to study the state of services and education for the deaf in Hong Kong. Data were collected through interviews and materials from government and non-government organisations, associations for the deaf, sign language services, schools and training facilities. The interviews revealed an uncertainty about language policies for the deaf as Hong Kong prepared to return to China on 1 July, 1997. As it is, bilingual education for deaf children does not include sign language as one of its components. Since the main aim is integration, political changes in the hearing community have great implications for the language education of deaf students.