Abstract:

The auditory channel is disabled for people who are deaf and hard of hearing, so they have to rely heavily on visual language — lip-reading and sign language — to develop their reading ability. Lip-reading can help deaf and hard-of-hearing people to form phonological representation, develop vocabulary knowledge, and promote word reading and reading comprehension. Oral and written language processing activates sign language, which affects all levels of reading ability for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. Future research should explore the role of reading skills such as phonological awareness and vocabulary knowledge in the effect of visual language on reading ability, and develop a theoretical model that explains the mechanisms underlying reading acquisition by visual language for Chinese people who are deaf and hard of hearing.

Key words: deaf and hard-of-hearing people, visual language, reading ability, lip-reading, sign language