Some Thoughts on Deaf Studies
(Continued from page 7)
In the past, there was greater distinction between the deaf world and the hearing world, but the
boundaries are becoming more permeable. Interpreters, technology like the Internet, and the rise
of ASL courses means that there are more bridges between deaf and hearing people today than
there were decades or centuries ago. We even see this type of connecting in terminology. In
America, we're starting to talk about "signers" instead of deaf and hearing people…this concept
may serve to fortify the representation and recognition of deaf people as a linguistic group
rather than a disabled one. (p. 199)
At the same time, Dr. Andersson understood that the current changes have caused some anxieties
including how the general concept of Deaf culture can be destabilized. This is where we need to come up
with ideas and plans to preserve Deaf culture by aligning it with the changing times. Being proactive
through research and scholarship would be an excellent route to undertake. Deaf Studies has reached a
crossroads, so to speak. I will close with the vision that Dr. Andersson had for us. He believed that we
have something – which is ASL – that will benefit all human beings as follows:
“I suspect in the future we will replace the word disability and talk about diversity and diverse
peoples. That approach may dissolve some of the barriers between deaf and disabled people, too”
(p. 200).
Reference: Andersson, Y., & Burch, S. B. (2010). Deaf and disability studies: A conversation with
Yerker Andersson. In S. Burch & A. Kafer (Eds.), Deaf and disability studies:
Interdisciplinary perspectives (pp. 193-203). Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.
Job Announcements
Instructional Assistant of Deaf Studies at
Ohlone College in Fremont, CA
For more information, click here.
Visiting Full-Time Instructor in ASL/DS at the
College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA
For more information, click here.
The Power of ASL
8
Fall 2016 – Issue 3