The Yin and Yang of Hands Talking: Voices of Deaf Education

The Yin And Yang Of Hands Talking: Voices Of Deaf Education

This representation of the yin and yang is a story about two individuals, one Deaf and one hearing, and our perspectives, approaches, backgrounds, and professional experiences in Deaf Education. We use the words Yin and Yang not only as a linguistic reference to a theory of opposite elements working in harmony, but also to invoke the powerful visual image that demonstrates how language, theory, and vision can intersect with this historic symbol (Merriam-Webster., n.d.; Zhang et al., 2016). The visual image has mirrored shapes that are interrelated within a larger circle and each side has a contrasting dot in the center of each depicting a shared core element amid the stark differences (Cartwright, 2018). The symbolism can also be applied as a way to better understand cultural paradoxes of interdependent opposites (Fang, 2012). For the context of this book and this chapter, the black and white image of Yin and Yang has added significance; the optics are similar to the American Sign Language (ASL) handshape and placement used to form the sign for collaboration.

We, Dr. Janice Smith-Warshaw and Dr. Nan Owensby Barker, have strong connections based on Deaf Education, faculty experiences, and leadership. We are faculty and educational leaders who utilize linguistic and cultural features of both Deaf culture and majority hearing culture as we interact with students, faculty, administrators, staff, and school district administrators involved with the Deaf Education teacher preparation program. We recognize the importance for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) students in kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12), college, and university classrooms to have Deaf teachers and role models as well as access to programs that center Deaf experiences.

Although we have different cultural backgrounds, we have a common understanding of terms used to describe Deaf culture, ASL, and concepts used within Deaf Culture to describe characteristics of the majority culture (Holcomb, 2013). “Hearing” and “hearing world” are common expressions identifying individuals who hear sound and communicate using a spoken language. Lane (1984) also identified aspects of majority culture as: having an auditory perspective, expressing audio-centric ideas about language and communication, and displaying characteristics of someone who is not Deaf. One unique element of Deaf culture that has not changed over time is the vital role of vision and sense of community:

As the only tenured faculty at our university who is culturally Deaf, Dr. Smith-Warshaw bridges between her Deaf world and the hearing world in most aspects of her work. The opportunity to collaborate with a hearing colleague who shares common communication modalities, ASL and English text, allows for direct communication and places equal value on each modality. When we are working together, cultural barriers and communication misunderstandings are eliminated as we switch between written English and ASL to express our ideas. While it is difficult to identify all the ways the linguistic and cultural differences affect Deaf faculty in their instruction and additional faculty responsibilities, we will share some examples of how cultural brokerage, shared languages, and leadership experience have influenced teaching and learning in the highly specialized field of Deaf Education at a hearing University.