In this paper I discuss the experience of two action research projects to develop English literacy teaching for deaf young adults in India, Ghana and Uganda. With a focus on India, I reflect on how we drew on two concepts, ‘real literacies’ (ROGERS, 1999) and ‘linguistic landscapes’ (CONOZ; GORTER, 2008) to design a student-centred and communicative language pedagogy. We used these perspectives to co-create with students a curriculum based on their everyday uses of English. The project sought to empower deaf young people by developing their ability to communicate in English, while also valuing their first language - a sign language – thus offering an additive bilingual education. In the paper, I discuss how students and tutors engaged with the approach. They actively challenged some of our plans and asked for adaptations to our planned lesson activities. I conclude my paper with some thoughts on what to take from our experience with regards to the adaptability and relevance of ‘real literacies’ and ‘linguistic landscapes’ for work with deaf students.