Jargons for deafness as institutional constructions of the deaf body

Jargons for deafness are seen here as social institutional constructions of the deaf body. Social institutions develop agendas commensurate with their view of the place of deaf people in society, create jargons to define its deaf clientele base and proffer programmes to construct them. This study examines current jargons developed by constellations of 'healing', 'helping' and 'agencist' social institutions developed in the USA since 1990 in light of their purposes and practices.     

Supporting Asian Deaf Young People and their Families: the role of professionals and services

This paper discusses how Asian deaf young people and their families engage with welfare provision. Our findings, based on group and individual interviews with young deaf people and individual interviews with their parents, explore the assumptions underlying current provision and how they influence the options available to young people and their families. The paper suggests that the welfare state exerts a form of social control where professional help, although well intended, may disempowers Asian deaf people by privileging 'oralism' over sign language, and western norms over other cultural values. On the other hand, positive constructions of deafness privilege Deaf identity while failing to accommodate ethnic or religious diversity, resulting in Asian deaf young people and their families having an ambivalent relationship with the Deaf community. We argue that services need to recognise and address the reasons for this ambivalence if they are to adequately engage Asian deaf people and their families.     

New community in a new space: artificial,natural, created,contested. An idea from a golf estate in Johannesburg

Attention is constantly devoted to the question of living together and sharing spaces, which is often translated as a matter of social and spatial segregation and belonging to a community. New spatial, social and institutional geographies have emerged as a potential cornerstone of separateness and togetherness in South Africa with the emergence of the gated community. This article tackles the concept of “community” within the space of a golf estate (a type of gated community) located in the West Rand, Johannesburg. It aims to understand new geographies of the city through an analysis of the organisation and social life inside and outside the estate. The notion of community is explored by looking at the system engendered by the main legal actor within the estate, the Homeowners Association (HOA). It will be argued that some of these new spaces are made neutral through the action of the HOA, an agent that institutionally constructs a communitarian lifestyle, accepted and contested simultaneously by the residents. Through the formalisation of a system in which holiday-style living is promoted, life is represented as real to the residents but lived in a virtual way when linked to broader societal and urban changes, thus reframing the notion of segregation.     

Re-defining 'norms': D/deaf young people's transitions to independence

Traditionally, young people's transitions from a state of dependent childhood to an independent adult identity have been measured in terms of a developmental stage model. However, it is increasingly being recognised that young people are not a universal category and that their transitions need to be understood within the diverse context of peers, family, and communities. This paper draws on a rich body of work from the interdisciplinary field of Deaf studies and original research with D/deaf young people – a group generally overlooked by sociological research – to challenge and to advance conventional interdisciplinary debates about youth transitions in two ways. In the first half of the paper we examine D/deaf young people's conventional school‐to‐work, housing and domestic transitions and in doing so reflect upon the ways that their experiences shed a new light on understandings of these traditional markers of independent adulthood. In the second half of the paper we challenge conventional definitions of what marks an important transition by focusing on the transition that many D/deaf young people themselves define as the most significant in their lives, learning BSL and the transition to an independent D/deaf identity that this enables them to make. In doing so the paper mainstreams within sociology an important body of research about D/deaf people's experiences from Deaf studies.     

Mapping the social geographies of autism – online and off-line narratives of neuro-shared and separate spaces

This paper draws together empirical work that has been produced by the authors in two different autistic spaces: the Swedish magazine Empowerment produced by and aimed at adults with autism, and English-speaking autistic communities online. While the two points of data collection are quite different, there are important points of commonality that enable us to explore central issues concerning autistic and neurotypical space and the meanings assigned to these in different contexts. The paper aims to introduce the notion of social geographies of autism, based on talks among adults with autism and a social movement to promote autistic identities, giving examples from our previous work that has spanned both online and off-line spaces. Key issues discussed in the paper include a focus on autistic political platforms and the carving out of both social and political spaces for people with autism. In doing so, neuro-separate and neuro-shared spaces must be negotiated.     

Walter Geikie: the life, schooling and work of a deaf artist at the beginning of the nineteenth century

The life and works of Walter Geikie (1795-1837), a profoundly deaf Edinburgh artist elected to the Royal Scottish Academy of Painting, Drawing and Architecture, are investigated as a source of insight into the experiences of deaf people in early nineteenth-century Scotland. Accounts of Geikie's early education, his family life and contacts with the rest of Edinburgh's deaf community are discussed in light of their possible weight as evidence that sign was recognized and used as part of the schooling of deaf students at the time. The artist's life is presented as an instance of the experiences of a profoundly deaf person at a time when the expectations of society regarding the education and socialization of deaf people was in process of expansion.     

The Cultural Politics of Integrating Deaf Students in Regular Schools in Zimbabwe

The integration of deaf students into regular schools in Zimbabwe is fraught with cultural and political problems. Traditional beliefs that are negative toward disability are still prevalent among many people. The adult deaf community views integration negatively and with disrespect mainly because integration programmes in Zimbabwe do not promote deaf culture. The influences of foreign individuals and organisations of the deaf are at times, in directions that are not compatible with an agenda that aims to meet the educational needs of all deaf students. These factors are problematic and mitigate against the integration of deaf students in regular schools. This paper examines the cultural politics involved in the integration of deaf students in regular schools in Zimbabwe. It suggests ways to alleviate this dilemma for parents to make correct school choices for their deaf children.     

Abuse and deaf children: Some factors to consider

Deaf children are uniquely disadvantaged in terms of access to information on safety and abuse. This is often due to misunderstood linguistic and cultural needs which relate to the deaf community. Consequently, a greater number of children who are deaf are placed in potentially abusive situations when compared to their non-deaf peer group. A high percentage of deaf children have also acquired negative self-concepts. This is often due to external influences such as educational experiences and family communication. Many deaf children believe that abuse is part of their being deaf. The implications of this are that deaf children are at risk of neglect and abuse as well as long-term damage to their emotional development and self-esteem. A number of survivors of physical and sexual abuse have been referred to the National Centre for Mental Health and Deafness, Preston. Some of these referrals have been inappropriate and due to a dearth of local resources. Extremely little support is available for deaf people who have been or are being abused. There are few appropriately trained counsellors equipped with the necessary skills in communicating with deaf people and even fewer trained in deaf awareness. A number of risk factors have been identified and are illustrated in this article. Three case studies are described to highlight the issues involved.     

Reflections of a Group of Deaf Adults on Their Experiences in Mainstream and Residential School Programs in the United States

The purpose of this study was to learn about mainstream and residential school programs for deaf students in the United States from the perspective of the deaf person, and to present the experiences of clients of educational services in their own words. Data for this paper were collected through open-ended, in-depth interviews with 25 graduates from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology (NTID at RIT). The comments of informants suggest that there are advantages and disadvantages inherent in each educational model. For example, the selection of one model over another may involve 'trading' academic for social opportunity. In particular, it is suggested that both kinds of school experiences play a critical role in the socialization of deaf people and the development of deaf community. It is recommended that further research be conducted to learn more about the perspectives of deaf people on educational services and to explore with them the long term as well as the immediate impact of different kinds of school environments.     

Tamil diaspora and the political spaces of second‐generation activism in Switzerland

In this article, we study the emergence of the political spaces of activism of second‐generation Swiss Tamils resulting from a critical event – the suffering of Tamils during and after the final battle in early 2009 of a civil war in northern Sri Lanka that had lasted for decades. We contend that we can explain the geographies of newly emerging second‐generation activism committed to achieving Tamil Eelam through two factors. These are first, this generation's multiple senses of belonging both to Switzerland and to the Tamil ‘nation’ and, second, the way a specific politics of affect remoulded second‐generation identities because the pain of witnessing the brutality of war and suffering of Tamils occurred concurrently with a perceived lack of interest from their ‘new home’ (Switzerland). The combination of these factors made them want to acknowledge their Tamil ‘roots’ and encouraged them to become politically active. Consequently, these second‐generation activists primarily sought to engage with their host society – to awaken it from its indifference to the suffering of Tamils and from its passivity in taking action on an international level. We thereby witness the emerging of a new type of Tamil activism in Switzerland, which is firmly located in and bound to the host country.     

A TALE OF TWO VISIONS: Representing the Orientialized West,Representing the Orient

Starting in the eighteenth century, the West’s interest in the exotic was matched with a rival gaze from the East. The fluid seams where the so-called dualities met have generated powerful spaces of tension: Occident, Orient; master, colonized; and public, private. The elite Muslim Ottoman women’s agency in dress via adoption of corsets, tight-fitting dresses and the adoption of overstuffed seating furniture modeled after the Turkish divan in the West resulted in an unprecedented conflict between furniture, the body and the dress. The inclusion of the body and its dress in the discourse helps to construct an interior design theory that deals with the immediate, experiential role of the body unlike the abstract body in space, which served architectural theory for centuries. Furthermore, the body fosters social manifestation of spaces. This is the fascinating story of a cultural exchange between women: an exchange of divans and corsets.     

Deaf and disabled? (Un)Employment of deaf people in Belgium: a comparison of eighteenth-century and nineteenth-century cohorts

In this article, the employment characteristics of pre-industrial and industrial cohorts of deaf men and women are compared with each other, as well as with a cohort of non-disabled siblings. The aim is to determine the extent to which the employment patterns of deaf persons lined up with those of non-disabled people and to see how nineteenth-century industrialization processes influenced their employment opportunities. This article challenges the widely held assumption that the nineteenth century constituted a definitive break by arguing that the professional lives of deaf people were not necessarily better before industrialization. Moreover, I demonstrate that the development of deaf schools in the course of the nineteenth century opened a new range of career opportunities for deaf individuals.     

Contorted, Folded, Torn: Environmental Values, Cartographic Representation and the Politics of Disability

This paper explores the merit of incorporating the personal geographies of individuals with impaired mobility into the production of access and mobility maps. If cartographers take it upon themselves to produce maps without first seeking to understand these geographies or images of place, they are likely to infuse their work with their own values and meanings. This becomes especially important if it is accepted that maps may have a political role. The issue of accessibility is inherently political, cities are literally crippled when members of their population are restricted from reaching their full potential due to inadequate planning and design. The paper describes an attempt to develop a cartographic process which incorporates the values of the user group into all stages of map design. The project highlights the complex nature of environmental imagery and the merit of producing symbolic cartographic representations of environmental values.     

Cultures in Contact: Deaf and Hearing People

Despite their relative invisibility, deaf people have a well established position in our special education and social services. They are a group to be cared for. Yet they have not always been like that nor do we believe they should be seen only in this light. This paper examines how social pressures have acted on deafness in work, in education, in the professionalisation of services, have impinged on deaf people themselves, and have created a misunderstood and under-estimated minority. We consider the current situation of deaf people in terms of their lack of power, the new emergence of their language and culture and the use of signing in education. All of these aspects highlight the need to reconsider our treatment of deaf people and the paper encourages some self-examination of professional roles.     

Deaf Families’ Unique Experiences and Obstacles

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on deaf children of deaf parents who grew up using American Sign Language (ASL) in deaf culture. Deaf children of deaf parents described their unique experiences of struggling with obstacles, including quality of education, low expectations from professionals, unwanted sympathy, mental health therapists’ lack of cultural competency, and not being asked for valuable perspectives or advice. The advice from deaf children of deaf parents is included in the article. By bringing greater attention to this population, mental health, school, and other professionals can increase their awareness of deaf families’ unique needs in their work environment.     

Addiction Treatment with Deaf and Hard of Hearing People: An Application of the CENAPS Model

ABSTRACT

Alcohol and drug addiction is a significant problem among deaf and hard of hearing people. Looking through a Deaf culture lens, treatment for alcohol and drug addiction is key for providing care for deaf and hard of hearing clients. Using the CENAPS model, an applied cognitive-behavioral therapy program is recommended for addiction treatment. The CENAPS model provides clinicians with tools for stabilizing deaf and hard of hearing clients, supporting their transition to early recovery. Educating the client about the stages of relapse and the stages of recovery, clinicians using this model can better treat and prepare deaf and hard of hearing clients for long-term recovery.     

Intergroup Relations: political action and identity in the deaf community

This paper examines the relationship between self-image and political action in the deaf community. Self image has two components: personal identity and social identity. The two are inextricably intertwined. Self image is associated with political action largely through identifying oneself as a member of a particular group and then perceiving that one's group is receiving an inequitable share of resources compared to some other reference group. The deaf community is used as a case in point to illustrate the development and formation of a politically conscious and active community. The effects of ethnocentrism, stereotyping, and inequities in resource distribution on intergroup relations between deaf and nondeaf members of these two communities are analyzed.     

Fat on Campus: Fat College Students and Hyper(in)visible Stigma

This article examines fat college students’ experiences of stigma. Fourteen college students and recent graduates describe their experiences of discrimination and stigma during their college careers. From these interviews, themes of hyper(in)visibility, anticipated stigma, spaces where stigma is more salient, and stigma management emerged. Fat students experience hyper(in)visibility: They are simultaneously hypervisible and invisible, on campus. This experience is impacted by gender and age. This hyper(in)visibility—combined with past experienced stigma—created a sense of anticipated stigma in students. Experiences of hyper(in)visiblity and anticipated stigma are made more salient by the size and shape of various campus spaces: classrooms, dining halls, student recreation centers, and recreational drinking spaces. Fat students often managed this stigma by avoiding these spaces and withdrawing from campus life. Students also embraced other stigma-resistance strategies and found peer groups and campuses spaces to facilitate this resistance.     

Art in my world: Exploring the visual art experiences in the everyday lives of young children and their impact on cultural capital

This paper presents data from a unique longitudinal study exploring the visual art experiences of nine children in two Scottish primary schools. Using a theoretical lens of cultural capital, the study is focused on spaces where children experience visual art and the value of these experiences, using arts-informed, visual methods. While each child presented a particular insight, the findings question the value of current school visual art experience over other spaces. The findings also demonstrate the capacity of children to resist the control of cultural capital by adults, engaging with visual art on their own terms.