Lo studente adulto con sordocecità: tecniche e materiali didattici per l’insegnamento della LISt

This thesis discusses a case study of second language learning involving a deafblind adult with residual hearing learning tactile Italian sign language (LISt). Teaching worksheets and materials specifically designed for the learner are presented. Deafblindness is a combination of vision loss and auditory loss; the degree of these losses can vary within each individual. Because of this, the deafblind community itself is extremely diverse. Since deafblindness is a ‘dual sensory loss’, deafblind people’s ability to communicate and access information is strongly affected. There are various methods of communication within the deafblind population; among these, there is tactile sign language. The difference between tactile sign language and other systems of communication is that the former is an actual language, thus a complex system composed of linguistic and suprasegmental elements. Nevertheless, not all members of the community use this language. It might be common for a deafblind person to be born deaf and to lose their sight later on in life; in this specific situation, the person might use sign language or might exclusively use a vocal language. One might wonder why one person should learn a tactile sign language if (s)he has always used a vocal language. One of the advantages is that, in case of a progressive worsening of either his/her sight or hearing, the person can still use the tactile sign language to communicate. Moreover, learning a new language as an adult living in contexts of isolation may represent an opportunity to develop and maintain mental skills and to interact with the external environment. Following an introduction on deafblindness and the deafblind community, this thesis will focus on concepts of educational linguistics applied to adult, blind, and deafblind learners. A case study will be then presented, of a purpose-built LISt lesson aimed at an adult, deafblind student with no residual sight. The lesson is based on four principles: motivation, globality, analysis, and synthesis. In conclusion, the aim of this thesis is to highlight another educational dimension that may be less known than the traditional one. All people have the right to learn new things, and sometimes it is all a matter of accessibility. This thesis is an example of how the learner is at the centre of the educational process, and how the latter is purposefully built around the learner to draw on the learner's abilities in order to teach him/her a new language.