deafcon 1 educational publishing

Teaching Shakespeare to Deaf learners - it’s time to break the silence...

If teaching Shakespeare sometimes feels intimidating, then this is the book you’ve been waiting for. It cuts straight through the confusion, offering practical strategies for teaching the Immortal Bard’s most commonly studied plays to Deaf students.

This guide shows practitioners how to enable students to make sense of complex plots; how to unpack Shakespeare’s language, and how to tackle humour, insults, and abstract ideas in ways Deaf learners can access. You’ll also find guidance on using drama and performance, building background knowledge, and preparing students for GCSE Literature exams.

With practical guidance on teaching Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, and Henry V, this guide helps teachers turn dense text into clear action. It provides strategies on how to teach character motivation, thematic development, and symbolism through accessible, visual approaches that play to Deaf learners’ strengths.

Practical, honest, and results-driven, this guide is for teachers who want Shakespeare to be a source of achievement - not frustration - for Deaf learners.

With a foreword written by Jenny Sealey (Director of The Graeae Theatre Company; Ambassador for The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and Co-Artistic Director of The 2012 Summer Paralympics Opening Ceremony).