Deaf epistemologies as a critique and alternative to the practice of science: an anthropological perspective

IN THE LAST DECADE, and responding to the criticism of orientalism, anthropology has engaged in a self-critical practice, working toward a postcolonial perspective on science and an epistemological stance of partial and situated knowledge (Pinxten, 2006; Pinxten & Note, 2005). In deaf studies, anthropological and sociological studies employing qualitative and ethnographic methods have introduced a paradigm shift. Concepts of deaf culture and deaf identity have been employed as political tools, contributing to the emancipation process of deaf people. However, recent anthropological studies in diverse local contexts indicate the cultural construction of these notions. From this viewpoint, deaf studies faces a challenge to reflect on the notions of culture, emancipation, and education from a nonexclusive, noncolonial perspective. Deaf studies research in a global context needs to deal with cultural and linguistic diversity in human beings and academia. This calls for epistemological reflection and new research methods

Negotiation of Deaf Culture: Alternative Realities in the Classroom

In a increasingly globalized world, family members of deaf individuals increasingly are faced with a dilemma between identification with Deaf culture or pursuing biomedical intervention in order help deaf children hear sounds artificially. The importance of this dilemma is critical at the earliest age of deaf individuals\u27 lives, not only in early childhood, but in their school career as well. This poster attempts to not only inform about this issue, but argues for the expansion of programs at the school district level to offer equal resources and information about both options for families with deaf individuals. In so doing, it utilizes Deaf cultural media, historical and anthropological perspectives, and new research to challenge how educators view deafness and Deaf individuals

American Sign Language Interpreters and their Influence on the Hearing World

This honors thesis is going to discuss the hearing community’s perception of American Sign Language and by association the hearing community’s perception of the Deaf community. For most of the hearing community their only interaction with American Sign Language is through watching an interpreter perform at their job. They personally have no physical interactions with the language. Even though they have never personally used the language or attempted to interact with the Deaf community they will draw their own conclusions about sign language and the Deaf community. The conclusions that are assumed tend to be incorrect. Early on in the field of interpreting these misunderstandings are encountered. The small nature of the Deaf community makes it hard for these false perceptions to be dismantled because the Deaf community and the hearing population with the misconceptions rarely intersect. This thesis will delve into the extent of these misconceptions and just how much of the hearing world’s perspective they influence. To first understand the potential hazard of the interpreter language model it is important to understand a brief history of American Sign Language and Deaf culture. The paper when then apply these principles to the Deaf community, the interpreter, and the hearing community. The end of the paper will then dispel many of the false perceptions that the hearing community has of Deaf culture. This section is included to show that the misconceptions exist

Social Interaction Between Deaf and Hearing People

This study examined the personal experiences of hearing people in their interactions with Deaf persons and their knowledge about Deaf culture. The research involved questioning hearing people about their perceptions and interactions with Deaf people and Deaf culture in an effort to gain insight as to how the lives of Deaf people can be improved in mainstream culture. It was predicted that a majority of hearing participants would describe a lack of knowledge about Deaf culture, discomfort interacting with a Deaf person, and an agreement that a need exists for better understanding of Deaf culture. A survey was conducted with 582 undergraduates at the University of Mississippi. Of the original six hypotheses, the results supported the predictions that a majority of hearing participants would report a lack of knowledge about Deaf culture and how to interact with a Deaf person and that hearing participants would agree that there is a need for better understanding of Deaf culture. The results indicate positive attitudes about Deaf people and further show the need for improvement of public knowledge about Deaf culture and people, which fits within the existing body of research

The development and Writing of a Children\u27s Story to Promote an Awareness of Deaf Culture and American Sign Language

Many advocates of the deaf fear that a whole generation of deaf children will be lost emotionally. socially. and educationally. This fear stems from the fact that many children who are deaf are not having their linguistic. sociocultural. and communicative needs met at home or at school (King, 1993). Their needs are not met primarily for three reasons. First. the hearing culture is often inaccessible to them because they do not understand most of the spoken language around them. When children lack the communicative abilities to interact with the hearing culture. they can not be expected to be knowledgeable of that culture, to participate in that culture. or to establish an identity as a part of that culture. Secondly. Deaf culture is unknown to many children who are deaf. Ninety percent of children who are deaf are born into hearing families who are unaware of Deaf culture (Moores . 1987). Most children who are deaf and hard of hearing do not know about Deaf culture until they become involved in it through a residential school for the deaf or the Deaf community (Padden & Humphries, 1988). Thirdly, Deaf culture, history, heritage, and American Sign Language are not taught as part of the curriculum in most schools nor in the mainstreamed or self-contained classrooms (Gannon, 1990)

Validation and Affirmation of Disability and Deaf Culture: A Content Analysis of Introductory Textbooks to Special Education and Exceptionality

This paper reports the findings of a review and normative content analysis of 10 introductory textbooks to Special Education to assess the extent that disability culture, Deaf culture and related topics were addressed. A total of 5,481 pages of text were analyzed to determine the number of pages that addressed disability culture, Deaf culture and related topics, and the number of pages of text authored by deaf persons and people with disabilities. Results indicated that disability and Deaf culture were not identified or discussed in any chapter specifically addressing cultural diversity, Multicultural Education or bilingual education. Disability culture was discussed on three pages and the discussion of Deaf culture comprised less than two percent of the total pages reviewed. Discussion of the advocacy efforts of disabled and Deaf persons, the disability rights and independent living movements and the identification of disabled and Deaf leaders was very limited. It was concluded that representation of disability and Deaf culture and the perspectives and views of disabled and Deaf persons in the textbooks reviewed was minimal. Discussion and recommendations address the need to promote cultural competence with respect to disability and Deaf culture in the preparation of Special Education teachers, and the need to provide disabled and Deaf youth access to their communities, history and shared experience

Investigating the Availability and Accessibility of Mental Health Services for Deaf Texans

This study explored the availability and accessibility of mental health services for Deaf Texans from the perspective of practicing clinicians. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act mandates that Deaf people have the right to equal access for all medical services, including mental healthcare, not all practitioners do so effectively. In the domains of education, practice, policy, and advocacy, several barriers to providing linguistically and culturally appropriate services were revealed. More specifically, this research project underscored the need for the Social Work profession to recruit and train more Deaf clinicians; build hearing therapists’ competencies in American Sign Language and U.S. Deaf culture; support specialized mental health training for interpreters; urge insurance companies to offset interpreting costs; and provide greater client support when navigating the mental healthcare system.Social Wor

Deaf Characters in Young Adult Literature

The multicultural literature movement has its roots in civil rights and the desire to give voice and representation to marginalized cultures. Literature is a societal artifact that can inform and influence the development of cultural identity. Deaf culture is a unique culture that is underrepresented in young adult literature. This underrepresentation places more importance on accurate representations of Deaf culture since young adult fiction may be the only exposure to Deaf culture that both hearing and deaf teenagers may have. Accurate representation in literature is necessary for deaf to see themselves in what they read and for hearing to better understand this unique culture. This study analyzed 20 young adult novels published between 2000 and 2017. Each novel featured a deaf or hard of hearing teenager. A phenomenography approach with a qualitative content analysis method was utilized to inform a better understanding of the representation of deaf characters and Deaf culture within current young adult literature. Models of disability as established by Clogston (1990, 1991, 1993) and Haller (1995) were used to focus the coding analysis. Two research questions were addressed. What model of disability do these books represent? What aspects of Deaf culture, communication issues, and societal issues are represented in young adult fiction? Results of the study determined the most prevalent model of disability represented was the traditional medical model. The coding also revealed themes surrounding Deaf culture, the issues in communication that deaf face, and societal issues surrounding the deaf

Exploring Deaf Culture in Legal Texts: A Journey from Deafology to Cultural Rights

This study aims to investigate whether the meaning and scope of Deaf Culture is integrated into legal texts. This study sought to demonstrate the legal panorama of Deaf Culture in light of the different approaches of the respective countries, explaining the emergence and evolution of Deaf Culture in sociopolitical and sociolegal literature. The research brought the common assumptions for the configuration of the Deaf Culture which was compared with the doctrines of the respective countries. The methodology used was doctrinal and jurisprudential research to assess the doctrinal position on the subject, as well as the deafological contributions, by and for deaf people, as a way of exposing the treatment given to the demands that involve the protection and promotion of Deaf Culture. The relevance of the research is based on the necessary - and scarce - contributions of Cultural Rights to understanding the legal status of Deaf Culture