Building Foundations for Biliteracy

This chapter explores how early literacy development for deaf learners in Namibia can be fostered through the alignment of curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment. Literacy is understood broadly, extending beyond reading and writing to include multimodal communication, critical thinking, and real-life application. Early exposure to Namibian Sign Language (NSL) is presented as the foundation for language growth and meaningful access to learning. Visual strategies are shown to be central to both signed and written literacy. Emergent practices like storytelling, fingerspelling, chaining, and storybook reading in NSL nurture vocabulary, semantic links, and metalinguistic awareness. A translanguaging pedagogy supports fluid movement between NSL and English print, while scaffolded instruction and culturally responsive assessment promote inclusive biliteracy development.