2 Education If I say yes to another person’s language, I have said yes to that person. If I say no to a language, I have said no to the person, because language is a part of one’s self.** 2.1 Introduction It is crucial that a child acquires language skills early in life.46 Early language fluency Education is both a right in itself and an supports social development, cognitive indispensable means towards realising development and further language other rights. The right to education has development.47 For prelingually deaf been identified as a high priority for deaf children their right to language can be people because of persistent under- dependent on access to both sign language achievement in the education system. and spoken/written language. It is an area where significant gains can be made to realise deaf people’s human Sign languages have been characterised rights. as natural languages for deaf people and 45 “the language one acquired first and/or A key priority for the deaf community is identifies with and/or uses as a primary that deaf children are able to realise their means of communication”.48 Deaf children right to education through NZSL. This exposed to fluent users of the language are chapter considers what that would require, able to learn sign languages naturally and what is currently provided and what can spontaneously.49 be improved. Given the centrality of NZSL to education, the initial focus is on how Sign language gives deaf children and when support is provided to families unambiguous and total access to human as the first and primary teachers of deaf language and thought processes through children. The chapter then considers policy a visual modality.50 It is a wholly visual and practices in place to support children’s language that is specifically designed for access to NZSL in schools. deaf people. Research on sign languages demonstrates that they are acquired and 30