Deaf-LatCrit Theory in Education: Identity and Experiences of Deaf Latino Students in a Residential School for the Deaf

• In Event: Promising Scholarship in Education: Dissertation Fellows and Their Research

Abstract

Residential schools for the Deaf are spaces where Deaf students develop strong senses of Deaf culture and Deaf identity. Deaf students learn to recognize systemic audism and develop tools to defend themselves from discrimination. However, failure to address multiple intersectional identities leaves Deaf students of color, particularly Deaf Latina/o (Deaf-Lat) students, ill prepared to advocate for themselves against types of discrimination other than audism. This year-long ethnographic study was centered at each Deaf-Lat student’s home and at Rainy State School for the Deaf (RSSD) in the Southwest. This study included five Deaf-Lat students and their families in order to explore the multiple overlapping identities and experiences of students who reside at RSSD during the week and go home for the weekend. The research design included demographic questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and cultural documents/artifacts. Two themes emerged in this study. First, the responses document that Deaf-Lat students experienced cultural emotional ties to different parts of their identities at school and at home. Secondly, their experiences at RSSD highlight multiple microaggressions as well as their coping mechanism. These preliminary findings suggest the need to look beyond Deaf identity, illustrating that Deaf-Lat students acknowledge their multiple identities; however, they need safe spaces to learn about and discuss them. I recommend open discussion of White privilege in the Deaf community, particularly among classroom teachers and school administrators, and for Deaf community organizations.

Author

• Carla Marie García-Fernández, The University of Texas - Austin