Where Can I Sign My Language?: A Systematic Literature Review (2000–2019) of Young People's Access to Sign Language Socialisation Spaces in the Nordic Countries

This article presents the results from a systematic literature review of Nordic research studies from 2000 to 2019, addressing the question of children and adolescents' access to spaces where they can sign with peers and adults. The study is based on a dialogistic approach to language, and holds that languaging is inextricably tied to places and situations—that is, spaces and contexts in which people participate in interactions with others. Thus, acquiring sign language is not only about the child or adolescent's individual learning of sign language in an educational setting, but also about participation in sign language activities. The review addresses the paradoxical situation in the field of sign language education whereby formal recognition of sign language and the institutionalisation of rights to sign language education gained momentum at around the same time as the number of deaf schools began to decline. The results from the review indicate that very few studies of sign language pay attention to spaces where children and adolescents can interact with other people through sign language. It appears that current legislation, as well as research, emphasises the individual right to learn sign language for deaf and hard-of-hearing children, and has overlooked the significance of facilitating and protecting sign language-based socialisation spaces as significant sites for sign language learning, participation and acquisition.