Deaf Centrism and Deaf Centricity

Crucial to reframing the way Deaf people are viewed in the world is the practice of Deaf centricity. Currently, perspectives on and the education of deaf people are based on a deficit construction standpoint; that is, Deaf people are coded and portrayed as “problems” in need of fixing. Signed language is viewed as substandard, a language of animals, a gestural mode, and as subpar.

Contributing to, or even creating this mindset, is the education of deaf people. Many teachers, as they study to become teachers of deaf students, are indoctrinated with this “problem” mindset. Subsequently, teacher training programs, and curriculum materials, create a pipeline centered on this indoctrination. This is then passed on to parents, colleagues, and deaf people themselves.

This deficit-thinking framework—a model based on imputation, not documentation—is an outcome of power and privilege; that is, the ability or official capacity to exercise control. People in more powerful groups are accepted as the standard, and therefore they often find it difficult to recognize their own privileges and acts of oppression. This indoctrination is perpetuated through a process of ideas, attitudes, and cognitive strategies that create instruction in the rudiments and principles of the majority belief system. Teacher training programs focusing on deaf education are heavily laden with this indoctrination and with deep-rooted audism.

Deaf centricity asserts that analyzing and understanding the implications of white [hearing] privilege, especially in socially diverse, unjust and inequitable environments, is needed and crucial. Critical pedagogy, then, becomes a key step in creating Deaf-centric curricular materials, teachings, and mindsets. Critical pedagogy is the continuous process of unlearning; learning, and relearning; and reflection on and evaluation of the impact of this deficit-thinking mindset on students who have been historically, and continue to be, disenfranchised by traditional schooling.

Currently, most schools with deaf students do not offer diverse and expansive Deaf-centric curriculum. For example, most history books, language arts materials, and even mathematic problems do not have examples that mention Deaf people. The dominant society in materials is white, hearing, and English-speaking. Furthermore, the majority of teacher training programs promote the concept that Deaf people are in desperate need of help, even when taught otherwise. As stated by Bangs, “Virtually all entering hearing students considered deaf people as hearing impaired individuals rather than members of a cultural minority. Consequently, they had to undergo a major paradigm shift to accept this new way of perceiving Deaf people. Some students were not able to make this shift and either continued to perceive Deaf people from a pathological point of view or projected a cultural perspective on the surface but continued to believe in the ‘deficit’ or pathological model of deaf people.” They continue sharing this biased thinking through their teachings and non-Deaf-centric curriculum.

A Deaf-centric education incorporates numerous factors that are essential to appropriate, culturally unbiased materials, such as infusing Deaf culture throughout the school program in all settings and formats and making Deaf culture the central focus rather than an afterthought. Deaf culture is also viewed as a foundation through which students can learn about diverse cultures, both Deaf and hearing. This requires that administrators, teachers, and staff work [Page 156]together to create an environment maximizing student success, first through Deaf cultural experiences and then through other cultures. Additionally, parents of deaf students are encouraged, and shown how, to view their children’s experiences as cultural and positive, instead of as pathological. Equally essential to this framework is the interaction with Deaf people within local, national, and international Deaf communities, which then brings a variety of perspectives and shared experiences. Central to all of this is the belief that all cultures are equally valuable, respectful, and cherished.

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