Signs of hope : deafhearing family life / by Donna West.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

West, Donna, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Deaf people--Social conditions.

Deaf people.

Deaf people--Family relationships.

Deafness.

Physical Description:

xxxiv, 247 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm

Place of Publication:

Newcastle upon Tyne, UK : Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013.

Summary:

Signs of Hope tells the story of a narrative inquiry with three deafhearing families. For many of us, deafness represents loss and silence. For others, being deaf is a genetic quirk, an opportunity for learning, spiritual adventure and reward. For yet others, it is the most natural thing in the world; a connection to a genealogical layer of signing ancestors and the continuation of a culture. Amid the noise of mainstream, medical and educational discourses of deafness, here are family voices demanding to be heard-whether spoken or signed-that challenge audiological and surgical intervention, that call for scrutiny and critique of 'inclusive' deaf-related pedagogical practices, that rail against the marginalisation of members of minority cultures. Over four years, Donna West has recorded the stories of three families who wish to counter and resist what they see as damaging misconceptions and discriminatory constructions of deafness and deafhearing family life. Here, spaces are created that respect and acknowledge human beings-adults, children, deaf and hearing-as storytellers. The poetic and performative narratives at the heart of this book reveal not only the ways in which hurtful definitions of, and discrimination towards, deaf people and signing deafhearing families can be destabilised, but also the ways in which celebration of deaf culture and sign language are affirming and vital for healthy family life. Signs of Hope is recommended for anyone with an interest in sign language, disability, deaf education and deaf wellness. It will also be of interest to professionals and practitioners working with deaf children, deaf parents and deafhearing families and to students and scholars within social sciences, humanities, arts, social medicine, audiology, paediatrics, psychology, childhood studies, social policy, social work and education. Donna West is a postdoctoral fellow at the Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol. Her professional career includes several years as Art teacher, teacher of deaf children, communication support worker, researcher and lecturer. In 2001, she completed a Master's degree in Deaf Studies and in 2009 she was awarded her PhD on deafhearing family life. She has published papers and chapters on qualitative and poetic inquiry, and on sign-language poetry. Book jacket.

Contents:

Deafhearing family life: (Not) beginning at the beginning

Introduction: Deafinitions 1

Stumbling at the first hurdle

Deaf, deaf, DEAF?

The muddle of textual representation

Troubling the binary

Back to where I started?

Chapter 1 How Did I Get Here? 7

(Not) the silent author

One person's invitation ...

Autoethnography: A slippery customer

Self and culture (auto and ethnography)

Private and public

So when did you become hearing? An autoethnographic sketch

Is it autoethnography?

Intertext I Early Deaf Life 21

What value deaf lives?

Early deaf life

Chapter 2 The Story of the Stories 24

A narrative epistemology

Why narrative?

A reflexive consciousness

Deaf/deafhearing story and resistance

What's the story of your family?

The families

Three families and me: A disclaimer of sorts

Ethical mindfulness: a story

Ethical endnotes

Informed consent: An oxymoron?

Space interrupted

Entextualisation

Bella

Intertext II Philosophy, Language, Thought and the Deaf 46

Educating deaf people

Chapter 3 The Story of the Writing 49

A story of the writing

Me writing?

Writing back

Who writes?

For whom is the writing being done?

Poetics of experience

For the (deaf) reader

Words and pictures

Intertext III Evolutionism and Education 58

Pathology, therapy and violence

Chapter 4 Deafhearing Family Life 62

Brigit and Bella

Beginnings

Georgina, Toni and Thomas

Dora, Luke, Harper and Maisie (Part II)

Intertext IV Eugenics, Technology and Management 166

Technology, bureaucracy and management Cochlear implants

Chapter 5 Reflections 171

Easier done than said

Storying stories

Travelling with the map

The Deaf History line

The Deafinitions line

Bella's Venn Diagram

The Resistance line

Postdearaess?

What We Really Want to Say

Intertext V The Biomedical Agenda 191

Chapter 6 Signs of Hope 194

A hero's journey

Re-visions

Becoming Hearing

On narrative and the 'v-word'

Dear World ...

Signs of hope.

Notes:

First published 2012.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1443849634

9781443849630

OCLC:

859198034

Publisher Number:

99959120543