Introduction to Deafhood

The Deaf community as a linguistic and cultural minority

• Shared values, norms, traditions
• Community goals and advocacy
• Creative arts and literature

Perspectives on being Deaf

• Deafhood as cultural identity
• Pathways, shared and individual journeys to Deafhood
• Medicalized/pathological perspectives – Deafhood as disability

Social structures within the Deaf community in Canada

• Informal group, family, social connections and activities
• Formal organizations (e.g., sport, advocacy, education)
• Local, regional, national and international structures and associations

Diversity within the Deaf community

• Intersectional identities (e.g., race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identities)
• Identities within Deafhood (Hard of hearing; Deafblind, late-deafened)
• Other social factors (family, class, education, employment)

Visual-gestural language

• Principles of visual-gestural languages (contrasted with spoken-auditory languages)
• Overview of grammar, syntactical structures, pragmatic norms and literary forms of visual-gestural languages
• ASL, LSQ and ISL use in Canada

The following major concepts guide the design and delivery of this course:

1.         The Deaf community comprises a vibrant linguistic and cultural minority whose members are connected to each other through shared values, norms, art, traditions and especially the primacy of using a signed language.

2.         The creativity and strength of the Deaf community contribute positively to the larger human society; Deaf lives exemplify unique and enriching ways of seeing and being in the world. The Deaf community has its own informal structures and formal organizations in areas such as advocacy, sport, art and culture; these exist on local, regional, national and international levels.

3.         A pathological view of Deaf people as disabled and in need of repair has been prevalent in our society, perpetuating attitudinal and systemic barriers to access to opportunities for education, employment, autonomy and inclusion.

4.         There is diversity within the Deaf community; members have various intersecting personal/social/group identities (race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc) and they have varied life experiences of family, upbringing, education, employment, and all aspects of participation in society.

5.         Members of the Deaf community share much in common but also differ in key ways that impact their particular ways of living, communicating, interacting and using language; some identify as hard of hearing, Deafblind, late-deafened, or other.

6.         ASL (American Sign Language), LSQ (la langue des signes québécoises) and ISL (Indigenous Sign Languages) are rich, visual-gestural languages used by Deaf people in Canada. Signed languages are distinctly different from spoken languages; they have their own syntax, vocabulary, grammatical structures, pragmatic norms and literary forms.