They told me my name: The social processes of Deaf identity development

• In Event: 4467 - Section on Social Psychology Refereed Roundtables (Cosponsored with Section on Sociology of Emotions)
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 1: Identity Development

Abstract

This paper examines identity development processes related to deaf people coming to identify as culturally Deaf (which indicates membership in a larger community that uses American Sign Language), and how this identity process co-occurs with other social locations, such as race and sexuality. It looks at Deaf identity development in response to discrimination and oppression across multiple domains such as school, family, and community. Our analysis is based on themes within qualitative data obtained for a project focused on the experiences of Deaf gay and lesbian individuals. In-depth life histories were collected from a racially diverse sample of Deaf individuals about their life experiences. The particular issue of coming to identify as Deaf is analyzed in this paper using Erving Goffman’s lesser known concepts of affiliation and obtrusiveness, paired with an intersectional approach. Our analysis reveals the social processes and actors facilitating individual Deaf identity development, how participants’ other social locations with regard to race and sexuality intersected, and the need for sociological approaches to consider disability as a social category.

Authors

• Laura Mauldin, University of Connecticut

• Tara Fannon, NUIG