This project uses an ethnographic approach to map out Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) education in Southern California and the inequalities that deaf children experience as they move through the education system. My collaborator, Kristella Montiegel, and I are conducting a series of interviews with stakeholders involved in DHH education (e.g. deaf students, parents, teachers, administrators, audiologists, and local non-profits), as well as conducting participant observation in conferences, events, and trainings related to DHH education.

This project combines ethnography and conversation analysis to investigate the relationship between the language development and social interaction of deaf preschoolers in Southern California. I am conducting participant observation and video recording in the classrooms and homes of deaf children with varying language backgrounds when they enter school. The project includes deaf children who gain access to American Sign Language (ASL) from birth to those who have no access to ASL in the home and limited success with hearing assistive technology.