Over the past decade, a significant body of work on the topic of deaf identities has emerged. In this volume, Leigh and O'Brien bring together scholars from a wide range of disciplines -- anthropology, counseling, education, literary criticism, practical religion, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and deaf studies -- to examine deaf identity paradigms. In this book, contributing authors describe their perspectives on what deaf identities represent, how these identities develop, and the ways in which societal influences shape these identities. Intersectionality, examination of medical, educational, and family systems, linguistic deprivation, the role of oppressive influences, the deaf body, and positive deaf identity development, are among the topics examined in the quest to better understand deaf identities.
In reflection, contributors have intertwined both scholarly and personal perspectives to animate these academic debates. The result is a book that reinforces the multiple ways in which deaf identities manifest, empowering those whose identity formation is influenced by being deaf or hard of hearing.
"Table of Contents Preface and Acknowledgments Chapter 1. Deaf Identities: A Maturing Framework Irene W. Leigh Chapter 2. Sociological Perspectives on Deaf Identities Leala Holcomb, Thomas Horejes, Joseph Santini, and Oscar Ocuto Chapter 3. Identity, Ethics and the Deaf Community Teresa Blankmeyer Burke Chapter 4. Religion and Deaf Identity Noah Buchholz and Rabbi Darby Jared Leigh Chapter 5. Lessons Learned: How Studying Cochlear Implantation Reveals the Context in Which d/Deaf Identities Are Formed Laura Mauldin Chapter 6. The Impact of Identity on Culturally Responsive School Leadership: Leaders of Schools and Programs for the Deaf Catherine A. O'Brien Chapter 7. The Body as a Canvas: Developing a Deaf Bodily Habitus in Deaf Signing Preschools Patrick Graham and Joseph Tobin Chapter 8. Identity Positioning and Languaging in Deaf-Hearing Worlds: Some Insights from Studies of Segregated and Mainstream Educational Settings Sangeeta Bagga-Gupta Chapter 9. Minimizing the Impact of Language Deprivation and Limited Access to Role Models on Deaf Identity Development in Children and Adults: Global Perspectives for Positive Change Goedele A.M. De Clerck and Debbie Golos Chapter 10. Intersectionality- Beyond the Individual: A Look into Cultural Identity Development of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children of Multicultural ""Hearing"" Families Cheryl Wu and Nancy Grant Chapter 11. Stories in the Building of Deaf Identity: The Potential of Storytelling to Enhance Deaf Flourishing and Well-Being Goedele De Clerck Chapter 12. Examining the Intersectionality of Deaf Identity, Race/Ethnicity, and Diversity through a Black Deaf Lens Lindsay Moeletsi Dunn and Glenn B. Anderson Chapter 13. Deaf and Queer at the Intersections: Deaf LGBTQ People and Communities Cara A. Miller and Kyle Amber Clark Chapter 14. On (Always) Passing Brenda Jo Brueggemann Chapter 15. In Between Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk: Crises of Collage, Mutating Identities, and Collective Subjectivities Joseph Michael Valente Chapter 16. Looking through the Kaleidoscope: A Metaphor for Convergences of Identities Denise Thew Hackett Chapter 17. Concluding Thoughts: Expanding the Frontier Catherine A. O'Brien and Irene W. Leigh Endnotes"
Irene W. Leigh is Professor Emerita of Psychology at Gallaudet University. As a life-long deaf individual, parent of two children (one deaf and one hearing), and a psychologist specializing in services to deaf and hard-of-hearing persons, her research interests cover the measurement of depression among deaf people, identity and multiculturalism, parenting, parent-child attachment, and cochlear implants. She is a former Associate Editor for the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA). She has received various awards for her work, including the APA Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology's Distinguished Contributions Award and ADARA's Boyce R. Williams Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Field. Catherine A. O'Brien is Associate Professor at Gallaudet University. She began her career as a science, special education, and physical education teacher, and she received her doctoral degree in 2011 in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri. At Gallaudet, she spent two years as the first I. King Jordan Chair Fellow, studying five schools for the deaf to expand her research base. Her research interests include school culture, culturally relevant leadership, principal preparation, deaf culture, social justice, and improving educational outcomes for deaf children. Her work has been published in numerous journals and edited volumes.
Reviews for Deaf Identities: Exploring New Frontiers
This book is a must-read for everyone, deaf or hearing, who work with the deaf community because it advances our understanding of the diverse lived experiences within the community and how identity and intersectionality interact with these experiences. * Peter C. Hauser, Director, NTID Center Research Center on Culture and Language, Rochester Institute of Technology * In the Deaf communities, our work and personal lives are often a complex interplay of differing roles, identities, and responsibilities. With Deaf Identities: New Frontiers, Irene Leigh and Catherine O'Brien weave together a rich collection of narratives that offer a glimpse into the various perspectives as well as the collective vision inherent in the rich tapestry of which our Deaf communities are made. The collected works of professionals and scholars in the field serve to provide a clear framework in both recognizing and differentiating research findings. In doing so, the editors have successfully maximized the impact these findings will undoubtedly have on the community members as well as drive further research. * Shilpa Hanumantha, Associate Professor, American Sign Language Program, University of Virginia, Charlottesville * This is a fascinating book, superbly crafted, and like its predecessor, Dr. Leigh's A Lens on Deaf Identities, a must-read for anyone interested in how dissimilar experiences and contexts for being deaf illuminate questions we all ask ourselves: Who am I? and Who are we? * Neil Glickman, Clinical Psychologist, University of Massachusetts Medical School and Private Practice *