Bilingual–bicultural education

Bilingual–Bicultural or Bi-Bi deaf education programs use sign language as the native, or first language, to teach Deaf children. In the United States, for example, Bi-Bi proponents state that American Sign Language (ASL) should be the natural first language for deaf children, although the majority of deaf and hard of hearing children are born to hearing parents. In this same vein, within Bi-Bi educational programs the spoken or written language used by the majority of the population is viewed as a secondary language to be acquired either after or at the same time as the native language.

In Bi-Bi education, a signed language is the primary method of instruction. Once sign language is established as the individual's first language and they have acquired sufficient proficiency, a second language—such as English—can then be effectively taught using the first language as a foundation. The bicultural aspect of Bi-Bi education emphasizes Deaf culture based on the idea that language is tied to ones identity and ethnic pride, thus needed to strive in that culture.