237 research outputs found
Access and Choice
No full textAnnelies Kusters explores the paradox of International Sign interpreting and the need to make that paradox visible to al
Access and Choice
No full textAnnelies Kusters explores the paradox of International Sign interpreting and the need to make that paradox visible to al
Deaf space in Adamorobe: An Ethnographic study in a village in Ghana
No full textShared signing communities consist of a relatively high number of hereditarily deaf people living together with hearing people in relative isolation. In the United States, Martha’s Vineyard gained mythical fame as a paradise for deaf people where everyone signed up until the 19th century. That community disappeared when deaf people left the island, newcomers moved in, married locals, and changed the gene pool. These unique communities still exist, however, one being the Akan village in Ghana called Adamorobe. Annelies Kusters traveled to Adamorobe to conduct an ethnographic study of both the deaf and hearing populations in the village. In her new book, Kusters reveals how deaf people in Adamorobe did not live in a social paradise and how they created their own “Deaf Space” by seeking each other out to form a society of their own. Deaf Space in Adamorobe reveals considerable variation in shared signing communities regarding rates of sign language proficiency and use, deaf people’s marriage rates, deaf people’s participation in village economies and politics, and the role deaf education. Kusters describes spaces produced by both deaf and hearing people as cohesive communities where deaf and hearing people living together is an integral fact of their sociocultural environments. At the same time, Kusters identifies tension points between deaf and hearing perspectives and also between outside perspectives and discourses that originated within the community. Because of these differences and the relatively high number of deaf people in the community, Kusters concludes it is natural that they form deaf relationships within the shared space of the village community.</p
Visual methods in deaf studies: using photography and filmmaking in research with deaf people
Get PDFThis chapter discusses the importance of using visual methods in the field of Deaf Studies, and suggests and evaluates different pathways to utilise these methods. It argues that when using visual research methods, researchers not only respect the use of sign languages, but also provide ways to deepen the understanding of the uniquely visual deaf experience of the world. This chapter provides a literature review of the major forms of visual research methods currently used in Deaf Studies research and in other fields. The remainder of the chapter deal with two case studies taken from the authors’ own experiences: auto-driven photo-elicitation interviews in the UK and the creation of an ethnographic film in Mumbai; including an evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of the methods that were used
Sign language ideologies: Practices and politics
Get PDFThis book focuses on how sign language ideologies influence, manifest in, and are challenged by communicative practices. Sign languages are minority languages using the visual-gestural and tactile modalities, whose affordances are very different from those of spoken languages using the auditory-oral modality
Introduction: Deaf-same and Difference in International Deaf Spaces and Encounters
No full textThis is the introduction to the book "It's a Small World: International Deaf Spaces and Encounters". We start this introductory chapter with an analysis and discussion of the different kinds of international deaf spaces. In doing so, we argue for the importance and timeliness of this book. We discuss previous writing in Deaf Studies that analyzed international deaf experiences and encounters and we will discuss how this book builds upon these works and makes needed interventions. We give a general explanation of key concepts including deaf universalism, deaf similitude,” deaf geographies, and deaf space. Most importantly, we explore the concept of “DEAF-SAME”. We define the concepts “international” versus “transnational” – as both concepts are used in the book. From there, we set out the book structure, summarising key trends in each of the sections. The general conclusion is that deaf universalism has both potential and limits, and our introduction defines and analyses these in more depth. <br/
Innovations in deaf studies: critically mapping the field
No full textIn this introductory chapter, the editors critically map the field of Deaf Studies. Central in this discussion is an exploration of themes that have been investigated in the field and a critical examination of the theoretical frameworks and concepts that have been used including the deaf culture concept and the d/D writing convention. The editors then flag up current theoretical trends in the field and consider how the field can be strengthened. Subsequently, they discuss the hegemony of hearing scholars in Deaf Studies, and collaboration between deaf and hearing scholars. They explore experiences of deaf researchers within research contexts and within academia, followed by a discussion of ethical research practice. Having thus established the theoretical and socio-political context of the current state of the field of Deaf Studies, the editors introduce the main themes of the current volume and explicate the unifying threads that run through the following chapters
Changing the World (or Not): Reflecting on Interactions in the Global South during the Frontrunners Program
No full textThis chapter is based upon a conversation with Outi Toura-Jensen, Filip Verhelst, and Ole Vestergaard, deaf teachers in the well-known and influential Denmark-based Frontrunners program (http://frontrunners.dk), an international deaf youth leadership training program (though its focus has recently changed and it is now a deaf international education program)
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