Deaf Gain: Raising the Stakes for Human Diversity

by H-Dirksen L. Bauman (editor), Joseph J. Murray (Editor)

Deaf people are usually regarded by the hearing world as having a lack, as missing a sense. Yet a definition of deaf people based on hearing loss obscures a wealth of ways in which societies have benefited from the significant contributions of deaf people. In this bold intervention into ongoing debates about disability and what it means to be human, experts from a variety of disciplines—neuroscience, linguistics, bioethics, history, cultural studies, education, public policy, art, and architecture—advance the concept of Deaf Gain and challenge assumptions about what is normal. Through their in-depth articulation of Deaf Gain, the editors and authors of this pathbreaking volume approach deafness as a distinct way of being in the world, one which opens up perceptions, perspectives, and insights that are less common to the majority of hearing persons. For example, deaf individuals tend to have unique capabilities in spatial and facial recognition, peripheral processing, and the detection of images. And users of sign language, which neuroscientists have shown to be biologically equivalent to speech, contribute toward a robust range of creative expression and understanding. By framing deafness in terms of its intellectual, creative, and cultural benefits, Deaf Gain recognizes physical and cognitive difference as a vital aspect of human diversity. David Armstrong; Benjamin Bahan, Gallaudet U; Hansel Bauman, Gallaudet U; John D. Bonvillian, U of Virginia; Alison Bryan; Teresa Blankmeyer Burke, Gallaudet U; Cindee Calton; Debra Cole; Matthew Dye, U of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign; Steve Emery; Ofelia García, CUNY; Peter C. Hauser, Rochester Institute of Technology; Geo Kartheiser; Caroline Kobek Pezzarossi; Christopher Krentz, U of Virginia; Annelies Kusters; Irene W. Leigh, Gallaudet U; Elizabeth M. Lockwood, U of Arizona; Summer Loeffler; Mara Lúcia Massuti, Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil; Donna A. Morere, Gallaudet U; Kati Morton; Ronice Müller de Quadros, U Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil; Donna Jo Napoli, Swarthmore College; Jennifer Nelson, Gallaudet U; Laura-Ann Petitto, Gallaudet U; Suvi Pylvänen, Kymenlaakso U of Applied Sciences; Antti Raike, Aalto U; Päivi Rainò, U of Applied Sciences Humak; Katherine D. Rogers; Clara Sherley-Appel; Kristin Snoddon, U of Alberta; Karin Strobel, U Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil; Hilary Sutherland; Rachel Sutton-Spence, U of Bristol, England; James Tabery, U of Utah; Jennifer Grinder Witteborg; Mark Zaurov.

Genres: Nonfiction, Disability, Science, History

568 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2014

About the author

Dr. Dirksen Bauman received degrees in English from Colorado College (BA 1985), University of Northern Colorado (MA 1989), and Binghamton University, State University of New York (PhD, 1998) where his dissertation explored ASL poetry within the context of 20th century American poetics. He taught English at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf for two years (1994-1996). Dirksen then moved to Gallaudet University where he taught in the Department of English for 3 years. In 1999, he was hired to teach in the Deaf Studies department. He has published articles on ASL literature, autobiographical practices, audism and bioethics. He is the co-editor of the book/DVD project, Signing the Body Poetic: Essays in American Sign Language Literature with Jennifer Nelson and Heidi Rose (U of California P, 2006) and editor of Open Your Eyes: Deaf Studies Talking (U of Minnesota P, 2008), and co-editor of Deaf Gain: Raising the Stakes for Human Diversity (U of Minnesota P, 2014) with Joseph Murray. He is coauthor of Transformative Conversations: A Guide to Mentoring Communities among Colleagues in Higher Education (Jossey-Bass, 2013) He is also a producer and co-director of the film (with Ben Bahan and Facundo Montenegro) of Audism Unveiled. He currently serves as Department Chair.

Reviews

[Brad McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book may very well have changed my life.

I went from viewing the phrase "Deaf Gain" as a reality denying euphemism for "hearing loss" to realizing a lot of my anxiety comes from hearing challenges and that had my deafness been viewed differently my life would be a lot different. And so I'm motivated to make a change. I need to get involved in the Deaf Community.

My review of this book is ongoing. I took a lot (A LOT) of notes. I'm messaging those notes into blog posts as I do further research and further introspection. You can follow along here.

[Robyn Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reading, helps the reader focus on the positive side of deaf people rather than the medical perspective of deafness and hearing loss.

[Hali · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took me on an absolutely incredible journey. A fantastic discussion of many concepts and themes relating to Deaf Gain. My favourites were discussions about signed literature, DeafSpace, and the discussions about the recognition of sign language as a true language and its importance for Deaf people. Great read - highly recommend. Will be returning to the book to revisit ideas quite a lot so I can do further research. :-)

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. A collection of essays about various viewpoints on the idea of "Deaf Gain". I loved seeing such diverse ideas about this topic, including perspectives I hadn't thought about before. The writers of these essays are all skilled and knowledgeable in their fields, and it comes through in their writing.

Definitely a great way to find an understanding of what exactly is Deaf Gain, and how it can be applied throughout different aspects of everyone's lives.

[Emily Rupert · Rating 3 out of 5]

insightful!

[Jannellelegg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each essay in this collection works to extend the theory of Deaf Gain (initiated by editors, H-Dirksen Bauman and Joseph Murray) providing useful application, developing further theoretical frameworks, and offering new examples of cultural and linguistic expression.

Deaf Gain revisits the fundamental assumptions underlying the academic study of deaf peoples/cultures/languages of the past 50 years. Rather than accepting the notion that auditory difference, deafness, sign languages or other aspects of deaf experience are negative/aberrant/different, Deaf Gain reframes and extends the discussion by exploring the benefits/contributions of diversity in language and culture.

[Cristina Gil · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the Journey into the Deaf World (Lane, Hoffmeister, Bahan) came Understanding Deaf Culture: In search of Deafhood (Ladd) and Introduction to the American Deaf Community (Holcomb). Deaf Gain is undoubtedly the latest paradigm shift in Deaf studies. Brilliant book.