Two Cultures, One Programme: Deaf Professors as Subaltern?

The landscape of American Sign Language education

“…Based on the narratives, participants were frustrated with institutional support because higher education administration did not recognize, embrace, or invest in ASL as an academic discipline. This issue affirms the arguments that McDermid (2009), Robinson and Henner (2018), and Rosen (2022) have made. The 13 ASL professionals in the current study suggested that higher education administrators be actively involved in building ASL as an academic discipline, as they are with foreign languages.…”

“…Audism is a form of oppression on the basis of one's hearing ability (Humphries, 1977) and linguicism occurs when one language is favored and superior to other languages (Skutnabb‐Kangas, 2015). There is increasing attention to how audism and linguicism may shape institutional contexts of ASL and, despite some growth in the field, the inattention to growing research‐based, doctoral‐level studies points to both the impact of audism and linguicism, and also the growing disregard for language studies in general (Brueggemann, 2009; McDermid, 2009; McKee et al, 2014; Quinto‐Pozos, 2011; Robinson & Henner, 2018; Rosen & Woodward, 2019). Despite the positive trends regarding the number of ASL courses, faculty, and programs, achieving the recognition of ASL as a legitimate academic discipline has been difficult due to the presence of audism and linguicism.…”

Teaching American Sign Language to Hearing Adult Learners

“…Some ASL programs adopt "no voice" policies in their classrooms, and instructors and students are expected to follow those policies throughout. As noted earlier, the no voice rules are in line with general norms of Deaf culture and are often espoused by Deaf instructors (McDermid, 2009). However, such rules are sometimes relaxed by hearing teachers in certain circumstances (e.g., during office hours, during a one-on-one encounter with a student, or even during class time if a student may not be understanding a key point made by the instructor).…”

“…The teaching of ASL is superposed on the socio-cultural history of the Deaf community-a history that has been influenced greatly by interactions between Deaf and non-Deaf (i.e., hearing) people. Deaf people have endured much oppression by hearing people over the years (whether or not the purported oppression has been deliberate or not), and the complex dynamics of the interactions between the two communities have involved issues of disability, social capital, and general power differentials (Ladd, 2003;Lane, 1999;Lane, Hoffmeister, & Bahan 1996;McDermid, 2009). 7 In many cases, Deaf instructors feel that they are subject to discrimination that is not evident in the experiences of their hearing colleagues (McDermid, 2009).…”

“…Deaf people have endured much oppression by hearing people over the years (whether or not the purported oppression has been deliberate or not), and the complex dynamics of the interactions between the two communities have involved issues of disability, social capital, and general power differentials (Ladd, 2003;Lane, 1999;Lane, Hoffmeister, & Bahan 1996;McDermid, 2009). 7 In many cases, Deaf instructors feel that they are subject to discrimination that is not evident in the experiences of their hearing colleagues (McDermid, 2009). An example of societal oppression against Deaf people, or what Lane (1999) has referred to as audism (the "hearing way of dominating, restructuring, and exercising authority over the deaf community", p. 43), can be evident in the fact that some hearing people want to learn ASL in order to help Deaf people, whether it be for professional, religious, or other reasons.…”