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45 3 Juggling Two Worlds Michael M. McKee and Peter C. Hauser Deaf epistemologies constitute a branch of philosophy that investigates the origin, nature, methods, and limits of knowledge that deaf1 individuals acquire while living in a society that relies heavily on audition to navigate life. Many deaf individuals struggle to meet the expectations and demands of a hearing society while balancing those of the Deaf society (e.g., Hauser, O’Hearn, McKee, Steider, & Thew, 2010; Leigh, 2009). Juggling two different worlds can be a challenge for deaf individuals. It has an impact on their identity, understanding of the world, and ultimately their episteme—that is, their knowledge of themselves. Our goal in this chapter is to contribute to the theory of deaf epistemologies, which has implications for educators, health-care providers, government leaders, families , researchers, and deaf individuals. The chapter is designed to not only to educate but also to provide strategies to lessen the awkwardness and divisions that often exist between hearing and Deaf cultures. We hope these strategies will decrease social stressors , information and communication barriers, and health disparities while increasing cultural and linguistic recognition, information exchange, and opportunities for deaf individuals. Deafness creates beings who are more visually oriented than their auditoryoriented peers; therefore, the two groups’ experiences of the world are different. How deaf and hearing individuals interact with deaf individuals shapes how deaf individuals acquire knowledge and how they learn. Aspects of the deaf episteme, not caused by deafness but by being Deaf, can have a positive impact on how deaf individuals learn, resist oppression (audism), stay healthy, and navigate the world (see Hauser et al., 2010, for discussion). Yet, the prevailing focus of hearing society continues to be on deafness, rather than Deafhood—a concept first introduced by Ladd (2003) that demonstrates how deafness can provide a sense of identity to a deaf individual. Some aspects of Deafhood are beneficial to the health of deaf individuals. Many of these key elements can be learned or incorporated by hearing individuals. To alter the hearing individuals’ focus from negative (deafness) to positive (Deafhood), deaf individuals must be willing to reach out to hearing individuals to educate and increase awareness 46 Michael M. McKee and Peter C. Hauser on the differences. Legal and political steps must be considered when this fails to ensure deaf individuals’ rights are protected. Social constructivism is a social theory of knowledge on how social expectations and cultures influence conformity or development of identities through cultural artifacts . Given the importance of social factors on deaf epistemologies, the lens of social constructivism is used to better understand several sections of this chapter. Hauser and colleagues (2010) explored how deaf individuals develop a sense of Deafhood and deafness through their experiences in a world dominated by an auditory-reliant society steeped in technology. These expectations both intentionally and unintentionally influence how deaf individual perceive themselves as well as their health. DEAF EPISTEMOLOGIES: DEAFHOOD AND DEAFNESS How deaf people view themselves differs from how hearing people perceive them. This leads to a number of different “faces” that deaf individuals must use, depending on whether they are with hearing people or with deaf people. The dissociation between these two populations’ thinking reflects two distinct types of knowledge, epistemologies and ideologies (Lane, Hoffmeister, & Bahan, 1996; Padden & Humphries, 2005; Reagan, 2002). Changes in hearing status, unlike changes in any of the other four senses, create a whole different world, a different experience of life, and a reality that is only known to those who grow up in that life. This is mostly because of changes in access to language, knowledge, and cultural capital (e.g., Listman, Hauser, & Rogers, in press). The fact that a deaf individual must navigate two divergent worlds plays a key role in the development of the deaf episteme for many deaf individuals. Contemporary social epistemologists believe how an individual justifies a belief as “true” depends on that individual’s situation, surroundings, prior knowledge, and sociocultural influences (Foucault, 1980; Goodman, 2004; Rosen, 2001). Feminist epistemologists add that the individual’s body or biology needs to be taken into consideration when discussing the nature of knowledge (Haslanger, 2000). This thought could be extended to even genetic components and differences. Societies give individuals the knowledge of how to live in their bodies, how to show capacities unique to one’s sex, and how to experience their bodies. Similarly, the way a society interacts with deaf infants, children, and adults impacts what these deaf individuals learn and know and consequently...

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