I get the point about intersectionality in the DEAFWORLD. I get that the d/D issue bugs people in the non-binary fluid universe of identities now widely acknowledged. I get the idea that ‘lived experience’ matters. Where does this leave us with regard to collective action? Thread
I’m a hearing, signing academic who has puzzled and published around these issues since the 1990s. I value theory: nothing’s more practical than good theory. But when we NEED to be clear about community membership for practical purposes & to secure RECOGNITION for signing people?
Context: I initiated and lead a project with @ScotParl to propose a model Signing Parliament for Scotland. The idea is once and for all to secure, with full public authority, the right to SELF-DETERMINATION for signing deaf people. We have the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015 but still...
... when it comes to defining the National Plan every 6 years, who’s in charge? Answer: nothing’s fixed. The spirit of the Act is that the community should have authority. Great principle: in practice, who IS “the community”?🤷♂️Suddenly it matters hugely to have clear definitions.
What I’ve observed over 30+ years working closely with BSL signers is HUGE frustration that all the WRONG people get accepted by the hearing world as ‘legitimate’ representatives of deaf signers. To sort that out, we’ll need mechanisms for identifying the RIGHT people. Elections?
So who could appropriately stand in such elections? And who gets to vote? Anyone? Anyone with a hearing loss? Anyone who signs? Just deaf signers? *How do we define’ the community’ in a way that is practical, sustainable, credible, morally defensible? 🤔 So this is an appeal. 🙏🏽
In our national parliament tomorrow, BSL signers will try to figure out a way forward with this. Help us. What are YOUR thoughts? I see a mountain of Twitter discussion around this issue: loads of people properly irate about no deaf rights, hearing privilege, false dichotomies &c
So please share the benefit of your wisdom on how to resolve this. If we get it right, maybe there’ll be a model for the whole world. This is a moment for #BSLEnlightenment. We want to break the #DemocraticDeaficit. Project info: scottishinsight.ac.uk/Programmes/The…
This project has benefited hugely from input by @jeffmcw @OliverEscobar @ParlAlba @WilsonMcLeod @DavidBuxtondc @HepnerAvril @DeClerckGoed @bjfletcher @alison_phipps @scotinsight @SPICe_Research @MarkoMcMillan @jconama_bosco66 @john_brownlie @JDenerley @grantyferguson @aud2526😍👍🏽
