Genetics and deafness: A view from the inside

Abstract

This chapter presents a cross-disciplinary overview of genetics and deafness from the perspective of 3 deaf academics employed in tenured or tenure-track positions at American and Canadian universities. We present a collective examination of the science of genetics and deafness using perspectives gained through disciplinary-specific research in bioethics, deaf and disability studies, education, linguistics, and philosophy. Specifically, we analyze the relationship between genetic patterning and language diversity, and then move to an analysis of bioethical issues related to deaf people and social policy