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This paper is a thought experiment exploring the possibility of establishing universal bilingualism in Sign Languages.1 Sometimes the word ‘sign language’ is used to generically encompass both invented gestural systems and natural sign languages. Here I use the practice of capitalizing ‘Sign Language’ to clarify that I am referring only to natural Sign Languages used by Deaf people in various villages and nations around the world.
View all notes Focusing in the first part on historical examples of inclusive signing societies such as Martha's Vineyard, the author suggests that it is not possible to create such naturally occurring practices of Sign Bilingualism in societies with relatively few Deaf people. The second part examines current policies that attempt to include Deaf people in wider society through language and disability policies aiming to counteract ideologies that perceive both Sign Language and the Deaf as deficient. This section demonstrates how current policies fail to achieve full inclusion of Deaf people. Using economic analysis the author shows in the third part how the marginal status of Sign Languages as minority languages can influence reduced economic and life chances of Deaf citizens providing an argument for a radical reframing of current Sign Language policies.
