Constructions of Deafness

Abstract

As a social problem, deafness can be variously construed. Each of the primary constructions of deafness today - disability and linguistic minority - has its archetypes but most deaf children match neither of them. Organizations espousing each construction compete to 'own' deaf children and define their needs. As with service providers for blind people, the troubled-persons industry associated with deafness seeks conformity of the client to the underlying construction of deafness as disability. Some spokespersons in the disability rights movement have joined service providers in promoting the disability construction of all deafness. This neglects the fact that the DEAF-WORLD has a distinct culture and that deafness is constructed differently in that culture than it is in national cultures of hearing peoples. The implications of a shift toward the linguistic minority construction for deaf children and adults, the obstacles to such change, and the forces promoting change are examined.