Deaf Identities Exploring New Frontiers Perspectives on Deafness Series

Over the past decade, a significant body of work on the topic of deaf identities has emerged. In this volume, Leigh and O'Brien bring together scholars from a wide range of disciplines -- anthropology, counseling, education, literary criticism, practical religion, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and deaf studies -- to examine deaf identity paradigms. In this book, contributing authors describe their perspectives on what deaf identities represent, how these identities develop, and the ways in which societal influences shape these identities. Intersectionality, examination of medical, educational, and family systems, linguistic deprivation, the role of oppressive influences, the deaf body, and positive deaf identity development, are among the topics examined in the quest to better understand deaf identities. In reflection, contributors have intertwined both scholarly and personal perspectives to animate these academic debates. The result is a book that reinforces the multiple ways in which deaf identities manifest, empowering those whose identity formation is influenced by being deaf or hard of hearing.

Irene W. Leigh is Professor Emerita of Psychology at Gallaudet University. As a life-long deaf individual, parent of two children (one deaf and one hearing), and a psychologist specializing in services to deaf and hard-of-hearing persons, her research interests cover the measurement of depression among deaf people, identity and multiculturalism, parenting, parent-child attachment, and cochlear implants. She is a former Associate Editor for the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA). She has received various awards for her work, including the APA Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology's Distinguished Contributions Award and ADARA's Boyce R. Williams Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Field. Catherine A. O'Brien is Associate Professor at Gallaudet University. She began her career as a science, special education, and physical education teacher, and she received her doctoral degree in 2011 in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri. At Gallaudet, she spent two years as the first I. King Jordan Chair Fellow, studying five schools for the deaf to expand her research base. Her research interests include school culture, culturally relevant leadership, principal preparation, deaf culture, social justice, and improving educational outcomes for deaf children. Her work has been published in numerous journals and edited volumes.