From Erasure to Recognition (and Back Again?)

2015

Understanding Deafhood: in search of its meanings.

2013

The authors argue that Deafhood (a term coined by Dr. Paddy Ladd) is an open-ended concept with an essentialist core. They describe how deaf people who have attended their Deafhood lectures and workshops have perceived different aspects of the Deafhood concept, and compare the basic tenets of Deafhood and criticisms on Deafhood to theories and criticisms on feminist essentialisms. The authors find that the vagueness and wideness of the Deafhood concept is one of its strengths, though they also find that it is in some respects problematic to combine and unite ontology and liberation theory in one concept. They further suggest that the ontological aspects of Deafhood need to be foregrounded. …

The power of language policy : the legal recognition of sign languages and the aspirations of deaf communities

2016

This thesis explores Sign Language Peoples’ aspirations for the legal recognition of sign languages, with specific focus on Finland and Scotland. It highlights the timely need to strengthen (in practice) and scrutinize (academically) the legal measures that have been achieved as well as their implementation – and to measure all this against the challenges of endangerment and sustaining vitality. The theoretical framework for this study is centred in language policy and planning and political theory. The research methodology draws on principles of the ethnography of language policy and uses two traditional qualitative research methods, that is, interviews and participant observation, plus de…

The UNCRPD and Sign Language Peoples

2014

[Introduction] On 13 December 2006, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and its associated Optional Protocol, the first human rights treaty to be adopted in the 21st century. The UNCRPD opened for signature on 30 March 2007 and entered into force on 3 May 2008. The Convention has over 150 signatories and more than 140 State Parties have ratified it. The UNCRPD is a group-­‐specific treaty in that it caters to a specific group of people: persons with disabilities1, a group of about 1 billion people worldwide (WHO 2011), often referred to as the world’s largest minority. Deaf people are included in the Conventio…