The deaf people education and Historical-Cultural Theory

the paradigms present in the L. S. Vigotski’s work

Abstract

The topic of deaf education is the subject of fierce debates that span centuries of scientific and philosophical produc-tion. In this article, we propose to analyze the work of L. S. Vygotsky, developed in the first half of the 20th century, with the aim of highlighting that the author anticipated an innovative approach in relation to linguistic issues and the development of deaf people. Despite some initial con-tradictions, especially with regard to the defense of oral pedagogical methodologies for this audience, Vygotsky, in later stages of his work, moves forward by recognizing the linguistic value of sign language and by arguing that its use could benefit practices educational, contributing to the complexification of psychological development. The completeness of Vygotsky’s texts about deafness points to the proposition of a single educational model, without distinction between subjects, organized on the principles of social education inspired by the Marxist conception of individual and society.