Research Guides: Deaf Culture: Readings and Resources

Online Resources

Deaf LibGuides, Gallaudet University Library
Guides to finding information on a variety of subjects, including art, history, biographies, literature, performing arts, and sign language.
Deaf-related Online Resources, Gallaudet University
Annotated list of links related to sign language, assistive technologies, Deaf organizations, and suggested starting points for further research.
Sign Language, Gallaudet University
Collection of commonly-used resources about sign languages, particularly American Sign Language.
ASL Literature, Gallaudet University
Tips for locating poetry and stories told in American Sign Language (ASL).
Deaf Rare Books, Gallaudet University
Digitized monographs from Gallaudet University's archives, including histories, biographies, speeches, and reports on people, events, and topics related to the Deaf community.

Further Nonfiction Recommendations

Black Perspectives on the Deaf Community by Jennifer Fuller
Call Number: Request through WorldCat and Interlibrary Loan by tapping the title
Publication Date: 2005
Continuum by Chella Man (Illustrator); Ashley Lukashevsky (Illustrator)
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
"Fine artist, activist, and Titans actor Chella Man uses his own experiences as a deaf, transgender, genderqueer, Jewish person of color to talk about cultivating self-acceptance and acting as one's own representation"
Deaf Artists in America: Colonial to Contemporary by Deborah M. Sonnenstrahl
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
ISBN: 1581210507
Publication Date: 2003
Historical overview and brief biographies of Deaf artists.
The Deaf Community in America by Nomeland, Melvia M.
Call Number: LC Books: 5th floor; HV2545 .N66 2012
"Tracks the changes in education and the social world of deaf people through the years."
Deaf Culture by Leigh, Irene W.; Jean F. Andrews; Raychelle L. Harris
Call Number: eBook, tap the title to read
"An introductory textbook that is more inclusive, accessible, and straightforward for those beginning their studies of the Deaf-World."
The Deaf History Reader by John Vickrey Van Cleve (Editor)
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tappng the title
ISBN: 9781563683596
Publication Date: 2007
"... nine illustrated essays that challenge stereotypes by former [Gallaudet University] students and others associated with the deaf community."
Deaf History Unveiled by Van Cleve, John V.
Call Number: Dewey Books, Basement; 305.908162 D278
Sixteen essays covering a range of topics in Deaf history.
Deaf World: A Historical Reader and Primary Sourcebook by Bragg, Lois (Editor)
"Anthology that places the Deaf on center stage, thus offering them to represent the two worlds (of the hearing & of the deaf) from a Deaf perspective."
Eyes of Desire 2: A Deaf GLBT Reader by Raymond Luczak (Editor)
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
ISBN: 9780979881602
Publication Date: 2007
"Over 85 Deaf and hearing people from all over the world share their stories, interviews, poems, and more in this anthology .... Subjects cover coming out, family, identity, relationships, community, and activism."
From Pity to Pride: Growing Up Deaf in the Old South by Hannah Joyner
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
ISBN: 1563682702
Publication Date: 2004
"... Explains how the cultural rhetoric of paternalism and dependency in the South codified a stringent system of oppression and hierarchy that left little room for self-determination for Deaf southerners", including those from elite white families.
Haben by Girma, Haben
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
"The incredible life story of Haben Girma, the first Deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, and her amazing journey from isolation to the world stage."
Hollywood Speaks: Deafness and the Film Entertainment Industry by Schuchman, John S.
Call Number: Dewey Books, Basement; 791.4309093 S384H
Examines how "Hollywood has reinforced stereotypical views of deafness and deaf people in nearly two hundred movies and television episodes".
Introduction to American Deaf Culture by Thomas K. Holcomb
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
ISBN: 9780199777549
Publication Date: 2012
"... provides a broad, yet in-depth, exploration of how Deaf people are best understood from a cultural perspective, with coverage of topics such as how culture is defined, how the concept of culture can be applied to the Deaf experience, and how Deaf culture has evolved over the years."
It's a Small World by Friedner, Michele (Editor); Annelies Kusters (Editor)
Call Number: eBook, tap the title to read
"Explores the controversial concept of Deaf-Same ("I am deaf, you are deaf, so we are the same")and its influence of deaf spaces locally and globally."
A Lens on Deaf Identities by Irene W. Leigh
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
ISBN: 9780195320664
Publication Date: 2009
"... comprehensive, careful, and cogent treatment of a timely topic--that of deaf identity in a time of significant technological, medical, educational, and cultural shift for deaf people in the U.S. and around the globe."
Many Ways to Be Deaf by Monaghan, Leila Frances (Editor); Karen Nakamura (Editor); Constanze Schmaling (Editor); Graham H. Turner (Editor)
Call Number: LC Books: 5th floor; HV2395 .M36 2003
"Twenty-four international scholars contribute articles on linguistic and cultural diversity in deaf communities worldwide ....
A Place of Their Own: Creating the Deaf Community in America by Van Cleve, John Vickrey; Barry A. Crouch
Call Number: Dewey Books, Basement; 305.908162 V217P
Traces how Deaf Americans developed a common language and shared identity during the nineteenth century.
The Politics of Deafness by Wrigley, Owen
Call Number: Dewey Books, Basement; 305.908162 W954P1996
"... offers an insightful and intriguing perspective on the meanings of Deafness, the politics of Deaf identity, and what it costs to be "unusual.""
The SAGE Deaf Studies Encyclopedia by Genie Gertz (Editor); Patrick Boudreault (Editor)
Call Number: Request through WorldCat and Interlibrary Loan by tapping the title
ISBN: 9781452259567
Publication Date: 2016
Three volume encyclopedia of "entries defining the current state of Deaf Studies at an international level using critical and intersectional lenses encompassing the field"
Seeing Voices by Sacks, Oliver
Call Number: Dewey Books, Basement; 305.908162 S121S
"A neurologist investigates the world of the deaf, examining their past and present treatment at the hands of society, and assesses the value and significance of sign language."
Through Deaf Eyes: A Photographic Hstory of an American Community by Jack R. Gannon; Jean Lindquist Bergey; Douglas Baynton
Call Number: Request through I-Share by tapping the title
ISBN: 1563683474
Publication Date: 2007
"Featuring more than 200 full-color photographs, Through Deaf Eyes depicts the story of Deaf America and also affords readers the opportunity to learn about the nation's broader history."
Train Go Sorry by Cohen, Leah Hager
Call Number: Dewey Books, Basement; 371.912097471 L679WC1994
"Animating the debate over the controversial push toward mainstreaming and the use of cochlear implants, Cohen shows how these policies threaten the very place where deaf culture and students thrive: the school."
When the Mind Hears by Lane, Harlan
Call Number: Dewey Books, Basement; 305.9081620973 L265W
"... the first comprehensive history of the deaf, is also a powerful and compassionate study of the anatomy of prejudice and the motives and means of oppression."