Cultural and Language Diversity and the Deaf Experience

The perspective that deaf people should be regarded as a cultural and language minority group rather than individuals with an audiological disability is gathering support among educators, linguists, and researchers involved in the education of deaf people across America. This book explores the notion that deaf people are members of a bilingual-bicultural minority group, whose experiences often overlap with the those of hearing minority group members, but at other times are unique. Contributors to this book include prominent deaf and hearing researchers, educators, and deaf community members. The three sections review research on bilingualism and biculturalism, the impact of cultural and language diversity on the deaf experience, and offer rich experiential evidence from deaf community members which highlights the emotional impact of living in the deaf and hearing worlds.

"Parasnis' 'Cultural and Language Diversity and the Deaf Experience' will be a valuable addition to the library of professionals who provide services to Deaf people. It will also be of considerable interest to researchers, instructors, and professionals in minority education and bilingualism. All will be informed by the varied perspectives of the impact of language and culture on the experience of membership in a minority group." Contemporary Psychology, "Nonspecialists will find that this book provides an intriguing and provocative introduction to Deaf culture, and specialists in deafness-related professions will appreciate this volume for its broad coverage of socioculture issues that impact the lives of Deaf children and adults." Janet R. Jamieson, Contemporary Psychology, "The book, Culture, Language Diversity and the Deaf Experience, is an elegant and comprehensive exposition of one side of this long-standing debate in deaf education -- the side which portrays deaf people as comprising a bilingual and bicultural minority group whose native language is a signed rather than a spoken language (ASL/LSQ). In three well-organized sections, the editor...assembles readable articles...drawing from a wide variety of experts with both academic and personal experience in the field of deafness. The articles are the ultimate product of colloquia on the same topic that were held earlier at the National Technical Institute of the Deaf." McGill Journal of Education, "...the section with personal essays makes the book especially attractive for a wider audience. This innovative and interdisciplinary volume is highly recommended for all interested in linguistic and cultural diversity: linguists, psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists, sign language interpreters, researchers and educators involved in the education of the Deaf, and last, but not least, all those who deal with the experience of living in the Deaf and Hearing worlds on a daily basis." SocioLinguistics