Race & Ethnicity... as Deaf Identity?
- Rachel Johnson (Iowa State University)
Abstract
While American Sign Language was not thought to be a true language until the 1960's, deaf individuals and communities have been thriving in the United States since its inception. And, despite the effects of eugenics as well as cultural and linguistic genocide, ASL and the Deaf Community are alive and well. This presentation will focus upon the identity of a deaf person, not as an individual coping with a sensory perception loss, but as a thriving member of the American Deaf Culture. Integral to this is a discussion of the metamorphosis of Deaf Identity. We will explore how the concept of deafness has transformed into a discussion about Deaf Community, the concept of Deaf-hood and Deaf Identity, and now to the more expansive concept of Deaf Ethnicity. We will also discuss ways in which we as the collective culture of the United States can choose to be more inclusive of Deaf Community members that don't fit our concept of ethnicity, yet fit the definition far more than we realize. Finally, we will talk about the need for American society to see that inclusion does not necessarily necessitate integration, or assimilation into the majority American culture.