Deaf education in sub-Saharan Africa originated in the 19th century, primarily through efforts by hearing European missionaries who typically followed their homelands' oral-only practices. But education became available to only a fraction of the deaf population. In the 20th century, Andrew Foster, a deaf African American missionary and Gallaudet University's first African American graduate, had unparalleled impact on deaf education in the region, establishing 31 schools for the Deaf, training a generation of deaf leaders, and introducing his concept of Total Communication, which embraced both American and indigenous signs. Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa have provided leadership in deaf education, but throughout the region there is growing acceptance of sign language use in school, and secondary and postsecondary education for the Deaf is increasingly available. Some national constitutions safeguard the rights of citizens with disabilities and even recognize indigenous sign languages. International disability organizations, particularly the World Federation of the Deaf, have helped change attitudes and train leaders. Despite some grim present realities, prospects for continued progress are good.

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In a study of three metropolitan high school programs for the deaf, a matched groups design was used to assess the relative effects of placement in an integrated class on the mathematics achievement of hearing impaired adolescents. The mathematics achievement of a group of 36 students in mainstreamed mathematics classes was compared with a group of 44 students in self-contained classes matched on the variables of mathematics ability, reading ability, degree of hearing loss, and social adjustment. An analysis of covariance controlling for prior achievement, sex, ethnicity, and degree of hearing loss showed that the integrated students performed significantly better than the students in the self-contained classes. A ‘post-hoc’ model of the differences in the instructional process is proposed to account for the differences which includes (a) higher expectations, (b) exposure to greater quantities of demanding material, (c) availability of individual support, and (d) training in academic content for regular mathematics teachers. The authors propose that differences are attributable to alterable factors in placements.

This study, involving 215 students and 63 teachers, addressed three concerns related to mainstreaming for hearing impaired students: the selection process, the difference between a mainstream placement with an interpreter and a self-contained placement, and the quality of the educational experience. Almost half of the variance in achievement between the two settings is described. Three conclusions can be drawn. First, student background factors are a primary determinant of achievement. Second, mainstreaming with an interpreter has no specific effect on achievement for hearing impaired students. Third, the quality of instruction is the prime determinant of achievement, regardless of placement.