Cultural and Language Diversity and the Deaf Experience

This edited book presents an detailed analysis of the experience of deaf people as a bilingual-bicultural minority group within an increasingly diversity-conscious America. The contributors include prominent deaf and hearing experts in bilingualism, ASL and deaf culture, and deaf education.

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.