A review of literature addresses two main issues: (1) how the acquisition of English by deaf signing children has been understood as an instance of second language learning; and (2) how deaf children learn to read English, given this understanding. The first chapter chronicles the history of language use in deaf education and reviews research on sign language and current second language instruction theory. This is intended to lay a foundation for discussion of the use of bilingual education and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) approaches to English instruction for deaf students. Chapter 2 examines theories of first and second language reading as a framework for understanding acquisition of reading by deaf children. This chapter also looks at theory and research on specific aspects of the reading process and relates these findings to use of the bilingual approach to deaf education. It is concluded that several bilingual education models, especially the maintenance model, have potential applications in deaf education and that current second language reading theory can contribute to understanding of the nature of reading acquisition among deaf children. Specific implications are outlined. A 146-item bibliography is included. (MSE)