Our lives - our stories : life experiences of elderly deaf people / edited by Roland Pfau, Asli Goksel, Jana Hosemann.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Goksel, Asl, editor.

Hosemann, Jana, editor.

Pfau, Roland, editor.

Series:

Sign Languages and Deaf Communities [SLDC] ; 14

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sign language.

Older deaf people.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (XI, 416 p.)

Place of Publication:

Berlin, Germany ; Lancaster, England : De Gruyter Mouton : Ishara Press, [2021]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Sign languages are non-written languages. Given that the use of digital media and video recordings in documenting sign languages started only some 30 years ago, the life stories of Deaf elderly signers born in the 1930s-1940s have – except for a few scattered fragments in film – not been documented and are therefore under serious threat of being lost.The chapters compiled in this volume document important aspects of past and present experiences of elderly Deaf signers across Europe, as well as in Israel and the United States. Issues addressed include (i) historical events and how they were experienced by Deaf people, (ii) issues of identity and independence, (iii) aspects of language change, (iv) experiences of suppression and discrimination. The stories shared by elderly signers reveal intriguing, yet hidden, aspects of Deaf life. On the negative side, these include experiences of the Deaf in Nazi Germany and occupied countries and harsh practices in educational settings, to name a few. On the positive side, there are stories of resilience and vivid memories of school years and social and professional life.In this way, the volume contributes in a significant way to the preservation of the cultural and linguistic heritage of Deaf communities and sheds light on lesser known aspects against an otherwise familiar background. This publication has been made possible within the SIGN-HUB project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Much more than a treasure: the life stories of elderly Deaf people

Part I: “For this experience, I am grateful to the elderly Deaf people”: Collecting and disseminating life stories

Conducting interviews with elderly Deaf people: opportunities and challenges

Making the life stories of Deaf seniors visible: a students’ exhibition

Part II: “I found out that deaf people could do many things”: Issues of culture and identity

Once upon a time: history and memory of Italian Deaf elderly signers

Deafness in Turkey 1930–2020: administrative, social, and cultural aspects

Pink sign: identity challenges, choices, and changes among elderly Deaf homosexuals in the Netherlands

Part III: “Apparently, one could hear airplanes, but we knew nothing”: Deaf lives in times of conflict and oppression

Impairment vs. disability: The paradoxical situation of deaf people during the German Nazi Regime

Forced sterilization of deaf people during the German Nazi Regime – a trauma and its compensations after 1945

Surviving a war of silence: Deaf people in Flanders during the Second World War

The Francoist dictatorship through the Deaf lens

Part IV: “He signs like me, we are the same”: Linguistic and educational perspectives

Uncovering the lived experiences of elderly Deaf Philadelphians

Time will tell: time and discourse as ‘motion through space’ in early Israeli Sign Language (ISL)

Part V: “Goodbye, hearing world!”: Creating a safe environment for the elderly Deaf

De Gelderhorst: a home full of signs

Growing old together: aging deaf people and the politics of belonging

List of contributors

Subject index

Name index (incl. associations, laws, and schools)

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes index.

ISBN:

9783110701906

3110701901

OCLC:

1233041156