Abstract
Literacy in Deaf communities has been redefined to include knowledge and skill in the production and comprehension of sign language as well as in the written form of the larger community’s spoken language. However, this reconceptualization has occurred primarily in communities with well-established sign languages. This chapter considers this type of literacy in emerging sign language contexts where the social, political, and financial resources are oftentimes scarce. The chapter presents the community of Nicaraguan Sign Language (NSL) signers, a newly emerged sign language that is now just over 40 years old, as a case study and explores the educational, cultural, and social evolution of NSL. Considering this context, findings are presented that speak to the relationship between language, cognitive development, and academic success particular to sign literacy. These findings are presented in the context of other emerging languages in both urban and rural/village settings.
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