Social issues facing deaf students in mainstream education

This review examined the serious impact social isolation can have for the mainstreamed deaf student. When considering a successful high school experience, one must consider both the academic and social components. It is proposed here that the isolation a deaf student typically experiences will greatly impact their identity and self-esteem. Additionally, this review examined the role of the unwritten curriculum, the issue of a least,restrictive environment, identity and socialization/isolation factors, and teaching strategies as they relate to mainstream education. Deaf students face barriers in the mainstream that are often overlooked by teachers and parents. This review consolidates and highlights the key issues that deaf students experience socially, as well as the consequences of social isolation. Since social isolation impacts so heavily on the adolescent deaf student, it is in the hands of educators to recognize and improve this inequity in an educational system that claims to provide equality for all students