American disability policy is often framed as a health, economic, technical, and/or safety issue. This is a critical issue because this specific framework of disability is based upon narrow statutory interpretations of a policy sciences framework rather than a civil rights or social construction framework. This article addresses the critical interpretations of disability policy, notably the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the unintended consequences of the ADA through several court cases. Using these court cases as a starting point, the article examines the implications of disability policy from two different models: the policy sciences and social construction model. The article concludes with a discussion addressing disability using the two policy models to better serve the needs and expectations of Americans with disabilities.

Deaf people negotiate their embodiment through corporeal experiences to provide a perception of what it means to be human. Some deaf people search for a framework where being deaf is human, not a disability. Other deaf people experience their deafness as a disability and use technology as a means to negotiate their embodiment and experiences. The role of technology or cybernetics, particularly cochlear implants, for the deaf will be examined as a way to understand cultural identities and diverse ideological perspectives concerning what it means to be deaf and normal. Then, this paper focuses on social constructed 'bodies' for the deaf using embodied theory and action as a part of a theoretical framework to showcase theoretical ideas and actualities of some deaf people's lives and experiences. These discussions are ways to open dialogues and collaborative inquiries on larger important issues such as what it means to be deaf and, in essence, human.

This chapter delineates three foundational social questions covering identity and its confluence with society. The authors, deaf academics, use these foundational questions as a framework to examine sociological perceptions of deaf identities. These questions guide the reader to an understanding of the structure of the deaf community, where it stands in human history, and who succeeds in the greater context of society in general. The authors integrate their own personal experiences within an academic framework grounded in sociology to explore the impact of social institutions, including the family, medical and educational systems, and the community influences on the social construction of deaf identities.

The positionality of any researcher influences the data collection of their research directly or indirectly, which in turn has an impact on the research being conducted. This chapter discusses the importance of reflecting on one’s own insider and outsider positionality and how they contribute to the study design, research measures, and dynamics of the research team. Positionality and intersectional perspectives are also examined as important elements of the research. Using examples from international research experiences, this chapter offers examples of how positionality concerns arose in our research. Finally, this chapter outlines different approaches and solutions that our research team used to address the complexities that arose surrounding positionalities, which become possible strategies for any researcher wanting to study deaf education.

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