Overview

Winner of the 2013 Outstanding Qualitative Book Award by the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry.Signs of Hope tells the story of a narrative inquiry with three deafhearing families. For many of us, deafness represents loss and silence. For others, being deaf is a genetic quirk; an opportunity for learning, spiritual adventure and reward. For yet others, it is the most natural thing in the world; a connection to a genealogical layer of signing ancestors and the continuation of a culture. Amid the noise of mainstream, medical and educational discourses of deafness, here are family voices demanding to be heard – whether spoken or signed – that challenge audiological and surgical intervention, that call for scrutiny and critique of ‘inclusive’ deaf-related pedagogical practices, that rail against marginalisation of members of minority cultures. Over four years, Donna West has recorded the stories of three families who wish to counter and resist what they see as damaging misconceptions and discriminatory constructions of deafness and deafhearing family life. Here, spaces are created that respect and acknowledge human beings – adults, children, deaf, hearing – as storytellers. The poetic and performative narratives at the heart of this book reveal not only the ways in which hurtful definitions of, and discrimination towards, deaf people and signing deafhearing families is destabilised, but also the ways in which celebration of deaf culture and sign language are affirming and vital for healthy family life.

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9781443849630

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Reviews

Even reading the title of this splendid monograph elicits an epiphany for those of us from Deafhearing families. First coined during the author's research for her Masters in Education, this term is instantly comprehensible as it perfectly encapsulates the experience of family life where deafness is not solely attributed to one or two individuals, as a problem to be managed and medicalised, but is rather a shared experience to be pondered, explored and even celebrated. [...] I cannot say enough good things about this book, which is both erudite and scholarly, yet also accessible to anyone interested in Deafhearing family life. - Sara Louise Wheeler, Sociology, Health and Illness. This is a beautifully written, powerful and extraordinary book which will appeal to a wide range of readers within the Deaf community and beyond. It should be read by families, professionals, practitioners, academics and policy makers and those working in organisations concerned with deafness. It should also be read by researchers who are interested in feminist and narrative inquiry - because this book is an exemplar of those approaches.Donna West has created a text based upon her own experience of working in the field of Deaf Studies over many years; her in-depth exploration of the history of deafness; theories; practices; and methodologies, all woven together with intimate, moving stories that vividly bring alive the experience of individuals and families who live with deafness. - Kim Etherington, Emeritus Professor, University of Bristol This is a joyful book which takes the reader on an unexpected ride through seemingly familiar territory (families with deaf children) but which is totally transformed by Donna West's creative approach. Her ever-reflexive eye entices us to examine the assumptions we bring to the text and makes space for us to think in different ways about the experiences we find recorded there. The book blends critical thought and poetry, history and contemporary life, identity and performance with infinite subtlety and radical scholarship. Anyone with an interest in `deaf lives' will be refreshed by this book. - Alys Young, Professor of Social Work Education and Research, University of Manchester

Even reading the title of this splendid monograph elicits an epiphany for those of us from Deafhearing families. First coined during the author's research for her Masters in Education, this term is instantly comprehensible as it perfectly encapsulates the experience of family life where deafness is not solely attributed to one or two individuals, as a problem to be managed and medicalised, but is rather a shared experience to be pondered, explored and even celebrated. [...] I cannot say enough good things about this book, which is both erudite and scholarly, yet also accessible to anyone interested in Deafhearing family life. - Sara Louise Wheeler, Sociology, Health and Illness. This is a beautifully written, powerful and extraordinary book which will appeal to a wide range of readers within the Deaf community and beyond. It should be read by families, professionals, practitioners, academics and policy makers and those working in organisations concerned with deafness. It should also be read by researchers who are interested in feminist and narrative inquiry - because this book is an exemplar of those approaches. Donna West has created a text based upon her own experience of working in the field of Deaf Studies over many years; her in-depth exploration of the history of deafness; theories; practices; and methodologies, all woven together with intimate, moving stories that vividly bring alive the experience of individuals and families who live with deafness. - Kim Etherington, Emeritus Professor, University of Bristol This is a joyful book which takes the reader on an unexpected ride through seemingly familiar territory (families with deaf children) but which is totally transformed by Donna West's creative approach. Her ever-reflexive eye entices us to examine the assumptions we bring to the text and makes space for us to think in different ways about the experiences we find recorded there. The book blends critical thought and poetry, history and contemporary life, identity and performance with infinite subtlety and radical scholarship. Anyone with an interest in 'deaf lives' will be refreshed by this book. - Alys Young, Professor of Social Work Education and Research, University of Manchester

Author Information

Donna West is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Bristol’s Graduate School of Education. She first trained as an Art teacher before becoming a qualified teacher of deaf children. In 2001, she studied for her MSc in Deaf Studies and then worked at the Centre for Deaf Studies (also at Bristol) as a lecturer in Qualitative Research Methods before gaining her PhD from the Graduate School of Education in 2009. She has published papers on qualitative and poetic inquiry, and on sign language poetry.

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