Abstract

In 1998 the document ‘Sign bilingualism – a Model’ was published It was developed by Miranda Pickersgill and Susan Gregory, and many schools, services, universities and individuals contributed to and endorsed this original publication. It has been used largely as a policy reference document for sign bilingual education since that time. The model of sign bilingual education as presented in the 1998 document has evolved over the last 10 years as practice has developed and the educational context has changed. There have been a number of significant and diverse changes in deaf education including developments in sign language teaching and research, and a steady increase in the number of profoundly deaf children with cochlear implants. These changes have prompted a revision of the original document.