What deaf readers can teach us about science of reading: "all means all" isn't an equity framework for literacy.

This article critically examines recent U.S. state legislation related to the Science of Reading (SoR), highlighting how policies predominantly emphasize a uniform, sound-based phonological approach to reading instruction that may not serve all learners effectively. Through discourse analysis, the authors reveal that these laws largely replicate the National Reading Panel’s (NRP) reading pillars, which prioritize phonological awareness and phonics, often excluding diverse literacy pathways such as those used by signing deaf readers. The article argues that this one-size-fits-all framework risks marginalizing learners with different linguistic and cognitive profiles, including deaf and multilingual students, by assuming a universal developmental trajectory centered on spoken language. It advocates for more inclusive literacy policies that recognize varied pathways to reading proficiency, incorporating orthographic, morphological, metadiscursive knowledge, and engagement, to better reflect linguistic and neurodiversity. The study underscores the need for policymaking that integrates diverse learner experiences rather than retrofitting them into narrow, historically dominant models of reading development.