The Center for Education Advancement of the Deaf (CEAD) conducted the Deaf-Centered Bilingual Education Faculty Development Program from March 19 to 22, 2024, at the Benilde Deaf School (BDS). The training aimed to strengthen the capacity of Deaf and hearing educators in implementing Deaf-centered and bilingual approaches in the classroom.
Participants included BDS faculty, Deaf educators, CEAD Deaf Heritage and FSL Studies (DHFSLS) researchers, Deaf Teacher Certificate Program trainees from Benilde Antipolo, and selected faculty from the School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies (SDEAS). The sessions were designed and facilitated by Dr. Christopher Kurz, Professor at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), and Director of the Mathematics and Science Language and Learning Lab.
The program was developed in response to the continuing barriers faced by Deaf learners, including language deprivation, the limited use of Filipino Sign Language (FSL) in classrooms, and the shortage of qualified Deaf and hearing teachers proficient in FSL. These challenges contribute to learning gaps that affect Deaf students’ academic performance and overall development.
Through CEAD-MLITEDCE, Benilde continues to promote Deaf-centered bilingual education by developing FSL learning materials, documenting best practices, and supporting the replication of effective teaching models to improve learning outcomes for Deaf children nationwide.
This initiative is part of the Model Learning Institute on Deaf-Centered Education (MLITEDCE), made possible through a grant from The Nippon Foundation.
