Includes bibliographical references (pages 465-490) and index.

pt. I : In the center of the deaf-world -- ch. 1 : Welcome to the deaf-world -- ch. 2 : Families with deaf children -- ch. 3 : The language of the deaf-world -- ch. 4 : Form and function in ASL -- ch. 5 : Deaf culture -- ch. 6 : The world deaf scene -- pt. II : At the borders of the deaf-world -- ch. 7 : Disabling the deaf-world -- ch. 8 : Educational placement and the deaf child -- ch. 9 : Language and literacy -- ch. 10 : Bilingual and bicultural education for deaf children -- ch. 11 : Evaluating deaf people -- ch. 12 : The Hearing agenda I : to mitigate a disability -- pt. III : When two worlds collide -- ch. 13 : The future of the deaf-world -- ch. 14 : The Hearing agenda II : eradicating the deaf-world -- ch. 15 : The Deaf agenda : enriching the deaf-world -- ch. 16 : Journey's end.

This volume offers the authors' insights into the existence and makeup of the deaf world, the community whose natural language, American Sign Language in the United States, is manual and visual. Bringing the latest social and cultural findings and theories into focus, the authors attempt to explain what deaf culture is, including discussions about the benefits of signed language and deaf culture for deaf children and hearing people; how deaf children are now educated and how they could be; how deaf people integrate into the larger society; the nature of American Sign Language; how technology helps (and hurts) deaf people; what can be learned from deaf societies in other lands; the future of the deaf world.