Deaf Communities and Human Rights: Ongoing Struggles in Favor of Social Participation

A special issue of Societies (ISSN 2075-4698).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 May 2022) | Viewed by 7647

Special Issue Editors

1. Department of Management, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
2. Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC G1M 2S8, Canada
Interests: social theories; disability; social participation; policies; participatory research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
School of Social Work, Université de Moncton, Moncton, NB E1A 3E9, Canada
Interests: sociology; research methodology; social and cultural anthropology; critical theory; ethnography; deaf culture; disability studies
Speech-language Pathology Department, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières,Trois-Rivières (Québec) G9A 5H7, Canada
Interests: language-related functions; social participation and human rights; the communication and participation of children, adolescents, and adults with a hearing loss; speech and language development in children with a hearing loss and cochlear implants
School of Social Work, Université de Moncton, Moncton, NB E1A 3E9, Canada
Interests: social work; mental health and addictions; child and youth care

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The current global health crisis has given unprecedented visibility to both signed languages and communication barriers for people living with deafness around the world. Problems related to the translation of emergency communications in signed language and to healthcare workers wearing masks have revived, at least superficially, the issue of culturally Deaf (hence, capital D)/deaf and hard-of-hearing inclusion. Media coverage is an opportunity that several Deaf stakeholders have seized to push linguistic and identity claims forward in the public arena. The most obvious observation related to this resurgence of Deaf claims is that there is still work to be done in terms of the recognition of Deaf rights, especially with regard to signed languages and the importance of associative movements, but also barriers related to communication and participation experienced by Deaf/deaf and hard-of-hearing people. The proposed Special Issue will address two key points related to the recognition of Deaf rights, in that it will attempt to bring together articles which 1) highlight recent outcomes concerning the linguistic and identity claims of Deaf communities and 2) emphasize the challenges experienced by clinicians, educators, and the various stakeholders who support the recognition of deaf people’s rights. This call for papers aims not only to document the current struggles and debates surrounding signed languages and the various issues related to the inclusion of Deaf/deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in a hearing world, but also to highlight the work of key players, such as interpreters, hearing parents of deaf children, and healthcare professionals, who support the social participation of people who are deaf.

Dr. Normand Boucher
Prof. Dr. Charles Gaucher
Prof. Dr. Louise Duchesne
Ms. Linsay Flowers
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 244 KiB  
Article
Parent-to-Parent Advice: What Can We Learn by Listening to Parents of Deaf Children
by Linsay Flowers, Louise Duchesne and Charles Gaucher
Societies 2022, 12(6), 152; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc12060152 - 02 Nov 2022
Viewed by 2207
Abstract
Parent-to-parent support is an important component of early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) programs for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children. In this study, we asked parents of DHH children what advice they would give to new parents in their situation. Seventy-one [...] Read more.
Parent-to-parent support is an important component of early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) programs for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children. In this study, we asked parents of DHH children what advice they would give to new parents in their situation. Seventy-one hearing parents of DDH children living in Canada, Switzerland, France, and Belgium participated in interviews that included the following question: “What advice you would give to parents who just learned that their child is deaf?”. We performed a thematic analysis and developed three overarching themes, revolving around the importance of trust, the need for reassurance, and finally, the quest for help. The findings allow to better understand how parental expertise can be used to improve early intervention services for DHH children. Full article
15 pages, 415 KiB  
Article
Deaf-Accessible Parenting Classes: Insights from Deaf Parents in North Wales
by Anouschka Foltz, Holly Cuffin and Christopher Shank
Societies 2022, 12(4), 99; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc12040099 - 30 Jun 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1764
Abstract
Parenting support services and programs develop and strengthen existing parenting skills. However, in the UK and despite the 2010 UK Equality Act’s provisions, these programs are generally not accessible for Deaf parents whose first and/or preferred language is British Sign Language (BSL) because [...] Read more.
Parenting support services and programs develop and strengthen existing parenting skills. However, in the UK and despite the 2010 UK Equality Act’s provisions, these programs are generally not accessible for Deaf parents whose first and/or preferred language is British Sign Language (BSL) because the medium of instruction is typically spoken and written English. This small-scale qualitative interview study gauged North Walian Deaf parents’ needs and preferences for accessing parenting classes. A structured interview assessed a small group of North Walian Deaf parents’ language practices, their perceptions of parenting support and accessibility, and their needs and preferences when it comes to parenting classes. An additional case study of a Deaf parent’s experience of participating in an 11-week-long parenting course with an English-BSL interpreter provides further insight into how such classes can be made accessible to Deaf parents. The main interview findings were that the participants had substantially lower English skills than BSL skills, that face-to-face delivery was preferred over online BSL support, and that all materials should be made available in BSL. The case study further uncovered several small adjustments that should be made to face-to-face classes to make them accessible to Deaf parents. In conclusion, materials from already existing parenting classes should be translated into BSL, interpreters should be available, and small adjustments to face-to-face classes should be made, so that Deaf parents can access and participate in already existing parenting programs. Full article
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12 pages, 1584 KiB  
Article
Shopping When You Are Deafblind: A Pre-Technology Test of New Methods for Face-to-Face Communication—Deafblindness and Face-to-Face Communication
by Claude Vincent, Walter Wittich, François Bergeron, Mathieu Hotton and Bertrand Achou
Societies 2021, 11(4), 131; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/soc11040131 - 28 Oct 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2813
Abstract
This article presents the first-year results of a project that aimed to explore the feasibility of using a braille display and a smartphone in society to improve face-to-face communication for a person living with deafblindness, using a simulated communication situation. An applied experimental [...] Read more.
This article presents the first-year results of a project that aimed to explore the feasibility of using a braille display and a smartphone in society to improve face-to-face communication for a person living with deafblindness, using a simulated communication situation. An applied experimental development design was implemented, followed by a pre-test in the community. Two clinicians and an engineer conducted communication tests with three communication partners with normal vision in a shopping mall. A blind clinician acting as deafblind bought an iPhone case and asked for the location of two stores. Communication partners did not report any difficulties, understood the exchanges, and were proud to have helped a person living with deafblindness. No communication breakdowns or keyboard input incidents occurred. Speech turns were not optimal but can be improved. Clinicians proposed a sequence of three training modules: (1) prior knowledge (basic operations for iPhone, software, and braille display), (2) methods for preparing a face-to-face discussion, and (3) processes during a face-to-face discussion. Results demonstrate the feasibility of using a tactile technological solution coupled with a smartphone to interact with unknown interlocutors. Technology trials form the groundwork for a 9-month case study, involving two individuals with deafblindness. Full article
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