Perspectives on Deafness – serie

Learning, Education, and Support of Deafblind Children and Adults presents the latest research on topics relevant for learners with deafblindness based on the most important studies of the last two decades. The diversity of deafblind people is explored with the authors bringing together relevant information from the fields of congenital, acquired, and age-related deafblindness, and those who are deafblind from different syndromes and etiologies. Opening with a case study of a deafblind adult who shares his perspectives on barriers and facilitators in deafblind education, the volume then presents chapters by leading researchers from around the world on deafblindness. Bridging the gap between research and practice by the researchers themselves, along with deafblind individuals, the authors describe their essential research findings and interpret them in terms of valuable implications for educational and rehabilitation practice. Divided into seven sections, the themes covered include the identification of deafblind persons; specific learning areas and interdisciplinary support; learning, self-determination, and education; participation, work, and recreation; family perspective; professionalization and interdisciplinary approaches; and research, technology, and innovations. With over fifty contributors, this volume brings together the current international scholarship on deafblindness and aims to stimulate new research on this rare but significant disability.

Education in general, and education for deaf learners in particular, has gone through significant changes over the past three decades. And change certainly will be the buzzword in the foreseeable future. The rapid growth of information and communication technology as well as progress in educational, psychological, and allied research fields have many scholars questioning aspects of traditional school concepts. For example, should the classroom be "flipped" so that students receive instruction online at home and do "homework" in school? At the same time, inclusive education has changed the traditional landscape of special education and thus of deaf education in many if not all countries, and yet deaf children continued to lag significantly behind hearing peers in academic achievement. As a consequence of technological innovations (e.g., digital hearing aids and early bilateral cochlear implants), the needs of many deaf learners have changed considerably. Parents and professionals, however, are just now coming to recognize that there are cognitive, experiential, and social-emotional differences between deaf and hearing students likely to affect academic outcomes. Understanding such differences and determining ways in which to accommodate them through global cooperation must become a top priority in educating deaf learners. Through the participation of an international, interdisciplinary set of scholars, Educating Deaf Learners takes a broader view of learning and academic achievement than any previous work, considering the whole child. In adopting this broad perspective, the authors capture the complexities and commonalities in the social, emotional, cognitive, and linguistic mosaic of which the deaf child is a part. It is only through such a holistic consideration that we can understand their academic potential.

Edited by Stephanie W. Cawthon and Carrie Lou Garberoglio, Research in Deaf Education: Contexts, Challenges, and Considerations is a showcase of insight and experience from a seasoned group of researchers across the field of deaf education.Research in Deaf Education begins with foundational chapters in research design, history, researcher positionality, community engagement, and ethics to ground the reader within the context of research in the field. Here, the reader will be motivated to consider significant contemporary issues within deaf education, including the relevance of theoretical frameworks and the responsibility of deaf researchers in the design and implementation of research in the field.As the volume progresses, contributing authors explore scientific research methodologies such as survey design, single case design, intervention design, secondary data analysis, and action research at large. In doing so, these chapters provide solid examples as to how the issues raised in the earlier groundwork of the book play out in diverse orientations within deaf education, including both quantitative and qualitative research approaches.Designed to help guide researchers from the germ of their idea through seeing their work publish, Research in Deaf Education offers readers a comprehensive understanding of the critical issues behind the decisions that go into this rigorous and important research for the community at hand.

Deaf children are not hearing children who can't hear. Beyond any specific effects of hearing loss, as a group they are far more diverse than hearing peers. Lack of full access to language, incidental learning, and social interactions as well as the possibility of secondary disabilities means that deaf learners face a variety of challenges in academic domains. Technological innovations such as digital hearing aids and cochlear implants have improved hearing and the possibility of spoken language for many deaf learners, but parents, teachers, and other professionals are just now coming to recognize that there are cognitive, experiential, and social-emotional differences between deaf and hearing students likely to affect academic outcomes. Sign languages and schools and programs for deaf learners thus remain an important part of the continuum of services needed for this diverse population. Understanding such diversity and determining ways in which to accommodate them must become a top priority in educating deaf learners. Through the participation of an international, interdisciplinary set of scholars, Diversity in Deaf Education takes a broad view of learning and academic progress, considering "the whole child" in the context of the families, languages, educational settings in which they are immersed. In adopting this perspective, the complexities and commonalities in the social, emotional, cognitive, and linguistic mosaic of which the deaf child is a part, are captured. It is only through such a holistic consideration of diverse children developing within diverse settings that we can understand their academic potentials.

What does it mean to engage in Deaf Studies and who gets to define the field? What would a truly deaf-led Deaf Studies research program look like? What are the research practices of deaf scholars in Deaf Studies, and how do they relate to deaf research participants and communities? What innovations do deaf scholars deem necessary in the field of Deaf Studies? In Innovation in Deaf Studies: The Role of Deaf Scholars, volume editors Annelies Kusters, Maartje De Meulder, and Dai O'Brien and their contributing authors tackle these questions and more.Spurred by a gradual increase in the number of Deaf Studies scholars who are deaf, and by new theoretical trends in Deaf Studies, this book creates an important space for contributions from deaf researchers, to see what happens when they enter into the conversation. Innovation in Deaf Studies expertly foregrounds deaf ontologies (defined as "deaf ways of being") and how the experience of being deaf is central not only to deaf research participants' own ontologies, but also to the positionality and framework of the study as a whole. Further, this book demonstrates that the research and methodology built around those ontologies offer suggestions for new ways for the discipline to meet the challenges of the present, which includes productive and ongoing collaboration with hearing researchers.Providing fascinating perspective and insight, Kusters, De Meulder, O'Brien, and their contributors all focus on the underdeveloped strands within Deaf Studies, particularly on areas around deaf people's communities, ideologies, literature, religion, language practices, and political aspirations.

If teachers want to educate deaf learners effectively, they have to apply evidence-informed methods and didactics with the needs of individual deaf students in mind. Education in general -- and education for deaf learners in particular -- is situated in broader societal contexts, where what works within the Western world may be quite different from what works beyond the Western world. By exploring practice-based and research-based evidence about deaf education in countries that largely have been left out of the international discussion thus far, this volume encourages more researchers in more countries to continue investigating the learning environment of deaf learners, based on the premise of leaving no one behind. Featuring chapters centering on 19 countries, from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe, the volume offers a picture of deaf education from the perspectives of local scholars and teachers who demonstrate best practices and challenges within their respective regional contexts. This volume addresses the notion of learning through the exchange of knowledge; outlines the commonalities and differences between practices and policies in educating deaf and hard-of-hearing learners; and looks ahead to the prospects for the future development of deaf education research in the context of recently adopted international legal frameworks. Stimulating academic exchange regionally and globally among scholars and teachers who are fascinated by and invested in deaf education, this volume strengthens the foundation for further improvement of education for deaf children all around the world.

This volume presents the latest research from internationally recognized researchers and practitioners on language, literacy and numeracy, cognition, and social and emotional development of deaf learners. In their contributions, authors sketch the backgrounds and contexts of their research, take interdisciplinary perspectives in merging their own research results with outcomes of relevant research of others, and examine the consequences and future directions for teachers and teaching. Focusing on the topic of transforming state-of-the-art research into teaching practices in deaf education, the volume addresses how we can improve outcomes of deaf education through professional development of teachers, the construction and implementation of evidence-based teaching practices, and consideration of "the whole child," thus emphasizing the importance of integrative, interdisciplinary approaches.

Historically, research on spoken language testing dates back to the late 1920s with the majority of work starting around the time of World War II. In contrast, signed language assessment research is a young area, nested within signed language linguistics, deaf education, and applied linguistics. To this day, very few signed language tests that can be used in applied contexts are available for learners of a signed language. This volume addresses issues that are inherent to language assessment development, regardless of the modality of the language. Comprised of 36 chapters, the book takes a new approach to exploring theoretical and practical issues related to assessment of signed and spoken languages by bringing together well known experts from both fields to engage in stimulating discussions about key issues related to language assessment. Grouped around twelve topics, the volume editors present different perspectives to emphasize the points of similarity and chart a path for future interdisciplinary collaborations .

Over the past decade, a significant body of work on the topic of deaf identities has emerged. In this volume, Leigh and O'Brien bring together scholars from a wide range of disciplines -- anthropology, counseling, education, literary criticism, practical religion, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and deaf studies -- to examine deaf identity paradigms. In this book, contributing authors describe their perspectives on what deaf identities represent, how these identities develop, and the ways in which societal influences shape these identities. Intersectionality, examination of medical, educational, and family systems, linguistic deprivation, the role of oppressive influences, the deaf body, and positive deaf identity development, are among the topics examined in the quest to better understand deaf identities. In reflection, contributors have intertwined both scholarly and personal perspectives to animate these academic debates. The result is a book that reinforces the multiple ways in which deaf identities manifest, empowering those whose identity formation is influenced by being deaf or hard of hearing.

Co-enrollment programming in deaf education refers to classrooms in which a critical mass of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students is included in a classroom containing mainly hearing students and which is taught by both a mainstream teacher and a teacher of the deaf. It thus offers full access to both DHH and hearing students in the classroom through "co-teaching" and avoids academic segregation of DHH students, as well as their integration into classes with hearing students without appropriate support services or modification of instructional methods and materials. Co-enrollment thus seeks to give DHH learners the best of both (mainstream and separate) educational worlds. Described as a "bright light on the educational horizon," co-enrollment programming provides unique educational opportunities and educational access for DHH learners comparable to that of their hearing peers. Co-enrollment programming shows great promise. However, research concerning co-enrollment programming for DHH learners is still in its infancy. This volume sheds light on this potentially groundbreaking method of education, providing descriptions of 14 co-enrollment programs from around the world, explaining their origins, functioning, and available outcomes. Set in the larger context of what we know and what we don't know about educating DHH learners, the volume offers readers a vision of a brighter future in deaf education for DHH children, their parents, and their communities.

This volume presents research on the assessment and intervention of communication in people who are deafblind, based on the most important studies of the last two decades, with topics from the fields of both congenital and acquired deafblindness. An overview of the latest interdisciplinary research is provided, bridging the gap between theory and practice to support the knowledge base of educators (including teachers, support workers, parents, educational psychologists, students, therapists, and rehabilitation workers) and other professionals, along with deafblind people themselves. With over sixty contributors, this volume records the latest work of recognized researchers and practitioners across the fields of deafblindness, as well as offering contributions from authors living with deafblindness, and parents of individuals with deafblindness. Divided into six sections, the themes covered include: identification and genetics of deafblindness; assessment; social interaction and behavior; communication, development, and interventions; dialogical approaches in communication; and tactile communication and language. Communication with People who are Deafblind aims to transform and describe international, interdisciplinary research findings, theoretical models, and concepts into valuable implications for educational and rehabilitation practice, and to stimulate new research in this field.

What is the impact of an infant's diminished hearing on the infant and its parents? How does communication develop in cases of diminished hearing? How does diminished hearing affect social and cognitive development? What types of early interventions can improve communication and development? The World of Deaf Infants presents the results of a 15-year research study that addresses these questions.Through their research, perhaps the largest long-term comparison of deaf and hearing infants, Meadow-Orlans' team provides a comprehensive and intimate look into the world of deaf infants. For a core group of 80 families, that included all four combinations of parent-infant hearing status, data was collected longitudinally at 9, 12, 15, and 18 months. Mother-infant interactions were recorded and observed in both structured and unstructured settings; mothers' facial, vocal, and tactile behaviours during interactions were related to infants' temperament and stress; mothers' linguistic and communication behaviours, as well as their overall responsiveness, were related to children's language; and the effects of support provided to mothers were evaluated and explored. The results were dramatic, particularly with regard to infant attachment behaviours and the importance of visual attention in the overal development of deaf infants.This comprehensive work provides a foundation on which researchers, teachers, students, and parents can build to further enhance the world of deaf infants.

In The Gestural Origin of Language, Wilcox and Armstrong use evidence from and about sign languages to explore the origins of language as we know it today. According to their model, it is sign, not spoken languages, that is the original mode of human communication.The authors demonstrate that modern language is derived from practical actions and gestures that were increasingly recognised as having the potential to represent and hence to communicate. In other words, the fundamental ability that allows us to use language is our ability to use pictures of icons, rather than linguistic symbols. Evidence from the human fossil record supports the authors' claim by showing that we were anatomically able to produce gestures and signs before we were able to speak fluently. Although speech evolved later as a secondary linguistic communication device that eventually replaced sign language as the primary mode of communication, speech has never entirely replaced signs and gestures.

More the 1.46 million people in the United States have hearing losses in sufficient severity to be considered deaf; another 21 million people have other hearing impairments. For many deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, sign language and voice interpreting is essential to their participation in educational programs and their access to public and private services. However, there is less than half the number of interpreters needed to meet the demand, interpreting quality is often variable, and there is a considerable lack of knowledge of factors that contribute to successful interpreting. Perhaps it is not surprising, then, that a study by the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) found that 70% of the deaf individuals are dissatisfied with interpreting quality. Because recent legislation in the United States and elsewhere has mandated access to educational, employment, and other contexts for deaf individuals and others with hearing disabilities, there is an increasing need for quality sign language interpreting. It is in education, however, that the need is most pressing, particularly because more than 75% of deaf students now attend regular schools (rather than schools for the deaf), where teachers and classmates are unable to sign for themselves. In the more than 100 interpreter training programs in the U.S. alone, there is a variety of educational models, but little empirical information on how to evaluate them or determine their appropriateness in different interpreting and interpreter education-covering what we know, what we do not know, and what we should know. Several volumes have covered interpreting and interpreter education, there are even some published dissertations that have included a single research study, and a few books have attempted to offer methods for professional interpreters or interpreter educators with nods to existing research. This is the first volume that synthesizes existing work and provides a coherent picture of the field as a whole, including evaluation of the extent to which current practices are supported by validating research. It will be the first comprehensive source, suitable as both a reference book and a textbook for interpreter training programs and a variety of courses on bilingual education, psycholinguistics and translation, and cross-linguistic studies.

Throughout history there have been efforts to help deaf children develop spoken language through which they could have full access to the hearing world. These efforts, although pursued seriously and with great care, frequently proved fruitless, and often only resulted in passionate arguments over the efficacy of particular approaches. Although some deaf children did develop spoken language, there was little evidence to suggest that this development had beenfacilitated by any particular education approach, and moreover, many, even most deaf children--especially those with profound loss--never develop spoken language at all. Recent technological advances,however, have led to more positive expectations for deaf children's acquisition of spoken language: Innovative testing procedures for hearing allow for early identification of loss that leads to intervention services during the first weeks and months of life. Programmable hearing aids allow more children to make use of residual hearing abilities. Children with the most profound losses are able to reap greater benefits from cochlear-implant technologies. At the same time, there have beengreat advances in research into the processes of deaf children's language development and the outcomes they experience. As a result, we are, for the first time, accruing a sufficient base of evidence andinformation to allow reliable predictions about children's progress that will, in turn, lead to further advances. The contributors to this volume are recognized leaders in this research, and here they present the latest information on both the new world evolving for deaf and hard-of-hearing children and the improved expectations for their acquisition of spoken language. Chapters cover topics such as the significance of early vocalizations, the uses and potential of technological advances, andthe cognitive processes related to spoken language. The contributors provide objective information from children in a variety of programming: using signs; using speech only; using cued speech, andcutting-edge information on the language development of children using cochlear implants and the innovations in service provision.Along with its companion volume, Advances in Sign-Language Development of Deaf Children, this book will provide a deep and broad picture of what is known about deaf children's language development in a variety of situations and contexts. From this base of information, progress in research and its application will accelerate, and barriers to deafchildren's full participation in the world around them will continue to be overcome.

Humans' first languages may have been expressed through sign. Today, sign languages have been found around the world, including communities that do not have access to education or literacy. In addition to serving as a primary medium of communication for deaf communities, they have become among the most popular choices for second language study by hearing students. The status of sign languages as complex and complete languages that are clearly the linguistic "equal" of spoken languages is no longer questioned. Research on the characteristics of visual languages has blossomed since the 1960s, and careful study of deaf children's development of sign language skills is pursued to obtain information to promote deaf children's development. Equally important, the study of how children learn sign language provides excellent theoretical insights into how the human brain acquires and structures sign languages. In the same sense that cross-linguistic research has led to a better understanding of how language affects development, cross-modal research allows us to study acquisition of language in the absence of a spoken phonology. The contributors to this volume are leading scholars and researchers of the acquisition and development of sign languages. The authors provide cogent summaries of what is known about early gestural development, interactive processes adapted to visual communication, and the processes of semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic development in sign. They address theoretical as well as applied questions, often with a focus on aspects of language that are (or perhaps or not) related to the modality of the language. Readers, especially if they also read the companion volume Advances in the Spoken Language Development of Deaf and Hard-of Hearing Children, will have access to cutting-edge information about deaf children's language development as well as a deeper understanding of linguistic structures, modality effects, and human potential for language development.

The last couple of decades have witnessed an explosion of self-and-identity-related literature, spurred in large part by the rapid growth of cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity in the population of the United States, the desire to better understand the interface between identity and social groups, and the question of whether confronting differences brings about changes in self-representation. Much of this literature has, however, often overlooked the fact that diversity encompasses other domains, including disabilities such as deafness. A Lens on Deaf Identities fills this gap by exploring identity formation in deaf persons. How a deaf person develops in societies or groups with preconceived notions of disability, deafness, and what is best for deaf people has implications not only for the psychological well being and self-esteem of the deaf person, but also for what a deaf identity really means, and who decides that identity. The issue of identify formation amongst this population is fraught-even the terminology used to describe people with deafness or hearing loss contradicts the notion of a single 'deaf experience'-Deaf, deaf, oral deaf, Oral Hearing Loss, hearing impaired, acquired hearing loss, deaf with a 'hearing mind', and so on. The book explores the major influences on deaf identity, including the relatively recent formal recognition of a Deaf culture, the different internalized models of disability and deafness, the appearance of deaf identity theories in the psychological literature, the presence of greater racial and ethnic diversity in deaf individuals, technology (such as the cochlear implant) that strongly affects the identity of deaf people, and deaf people's ongoing experiences of stigma and oppression. A Lens on Deaf Identities will appeal to student and professional researchers in deaf studies and deaf education.

Deaf Cognition examines the cognitive underpinnings of deaf individuals' learning. Marschark and Hauser have brought together scientists from different disciplines, which rarely interact, to share their ideas and create this book. It contributes to the science of learning by describing and testing theories that might either over or underestimate the role that audition or vision plays in learning and memory, and by shedding light on multiple pathways for learning. International experts in cognitive psychology, brain sciences, cognitive development, and deaf children offer a unique, integrative examination of cognition and learning, with discussions on their implications for deaf education. Each chapter focuses primarily on the intersection of research in cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, and deaf education. The general theme of the book is that deaf and hearing individuals differ to some extent in early experience, brain development, cognitive functioning, memory organization, and problem solving. Identifying similarities and differences among these domains provides new insights into potential methods for enhancing achievement in this traditionally under-performing population.

In this invaluable guide, renowned authorities Marc Marschark and Peter Hauser highlight important new advances in scientific and educational research that can help parents and teachers of students with significant hearing loss. The authors stress that deaf children have strengths and needs that are sometimes dramatically different from those who can hear. Consequently, if deaf students are to have full academic access and optimal educational outcomes, it is essential that parents and teachers learn to recognize these differences and adjust their teaching methods to them. Marschark and Hauser explain how the fruits of research conducted over the last several years can markedly improve educational practices at home and in the classroom, and they offer innovative strategies that parents and teachers can use to promote learning in their children. The result is a lively, accessible volume that sheds light on what it means to be a deaf learner and that provides a wealth of advice on how we can best support their language development, social skills, and academic success.

Communication Interventions with Deaf People concerns the application of spoken, signed, and written language interventions with deaf and hard of hearing children, young people, and adults. Exploring the work that speech and language therapists, pathologists, deaf language specialists, and other professionals carry out with deaf people, this volume extends beyond the classroom and provides clinical and real-life applications of learning and communication. Historically, communication interventions with deaf people have prioritised spoken language and considered it to be the most 'appropriate' and 'normal' accomplishment. However, this book begins with a deaf perspective on communication interventions where the multiple languages, signed, spoken, and written, of deaf people are valued equally, and this paradigm shift is reflected throughout the various chapters.With over forty contributors, the research and professional experience of experts working with deaf people, across national borders, is presented. Individual chapters describe the ways that services are delivered and detail different aspects of communication interventions, presenting the current evidence base and indicating areas where further research is needed.

The introduction of pediatric cochlear implants more than 30 years ago has changed the lives of deaf children and their families and the field of deaf education, early intervention, and research. However, discussions about cochlear implantation have sometimes come with unrealistic expectations or strong objections. Expectations have sometimes been exaggerated, predicting for example almost full restoration of hearing. At the same time, cochlear implantation has been met by fierce criticism from many deaf people, but also by some professionals and researchers, who feel that cochlear implantation leads to a devaluation of sign language and deaf culture. Although the extremes in the debate concerning the benefits and risks of pediatric cochlear implantation have decreased over the years, nuances in popular, professional, and scientific discourse are sometimes missing. This book provides a comprehensive and balanced look at the prospects of growing up with cochlear implants, primarily based on the results of empirical research. The authors explore the results of implantation on child development , the limitations and risks, the upbringing of children with an implant, and factors that can make implantation and upbringing complex and controversial, such as additional disabilities of the child or growing up in a multilingual and multicultural environment, whether or not with the use of sign language within or in relation to the deaf community.

In Bilingualism and Bilingual Deaf Education, volume editors Marc Marschark, Gladys Tang, and Harry Knoors bring together diverse issues and evidence in two related domains: bilingualism among deaf learners - in sign language and the written/spoken vernacular - and bilingual deaf education. The volume examines each issue with regard to language acquisition, language functioning, social-emotional functioning, and academic outcomes. It considers bilingualism and bilingual deaf education within the contexts of mainstream education of deaf and hard-of-hearing students in regular schools, placement in special schools and programs for the deaf, and co-enrollment programs, which are designed to give deaf students the best of both educational worlds. The volume offers both literature reviews and new findings across disciplines from neuropsychology to child development and from linguistics to cognitive psychology. With a focus on evidence-based practice, contributors consider recent investigations into bilingualism and bilingual programming in different educational contexts and in different countries that may have different models of using spoken and signed languages as well as different cultural expectations. The 18 chapters establish shared understandings of what are meant by "bilingualism," "bilingual education," and "co-enrollment programming," examine their foundations and outcomes, and chart directions for future research in this multidisciplinary area. Chapters are divided into three sections: Linguistic, Cognitive, and Social Foundations; Education and Bilingual Education; and Co-Enrollment Settings. Chapters in each section pay particular attention to causal and outcome factors related to the acquisition and use of these two languages by deaf learners of different ages. The impact of bilingualism and bilingual deaf education in these domains is considered through quantitative and qualitative investigations, bringing into focus not only common educational, psychological, and linguistic variables, but also expectations and reactions of the stakeholders in bilingual programming: parents, teachers, schools, and the deaf and hearing students themselves.

Teaching Deaf Learners: Psychological and Developmental Foundations explores how deaf students (children and adolescents) learn and the conditions that support their reaching their full cognitive potential -- or not. Beginning with an introduction to teaching and learning of both deaf and hearing students, Knoors and Marschark take an ecological approach to deaf education, emphasizing the need to take into account characteristics of learners and of the educational context. Building on the evidence base with respect to developmental and psychological factors in teaching on learning, they describe characteristics of deaf learners which indicate that teaching deaf learners is not, or should not, be the same as teaching hearing learners. In this volume, Knoors and Marschark will explore factors that influence the teaching of deaf learners, including their language proficiencies, literacy and numeracy skills, cognitive abilities, and social-emotional factors. These issues are addressed in separate chapters, with a focus on the importance to all of them of communication and language. Separate chapters are devoted to the promise of multimedia enhanced education and the possible influences of contextual aspects of the classroom and the school on the learning of deaf students. The book concludes by pointing out the importance of appropriate education of teachers of deaf learners given the increasing diversity of those students and the contexts in which they are educated. It bridges the gap between research and practice in teaching, and outlines ways to improve teacher education.

In Approaches to Social Research: The Case of Deaf Studies, Alys Young and Bogusia Temple explore the relationship between key methodological debates in social research and the special context of studies concerning d/Deaf people(s). The book is organized around 7 topics: being d/Deaf as a site of contested identity and representation; epistemology and the boundaries of claims for population specific and plural epistemologies; ethics and the implications of collective identity on standard ethical principles and practices; populations and sampling given the highly heterogeneous nature of d/Deaf people(s); narrative methodologies re-examined in light of the visual nature of signed languages; interpretation, translation and transcription and the context of multiple modalities; and information and communication technologies as transformative epistemologies. Through these themes, new aspects of old debates within social research become evident, and the authors challenge specialist field of studies by, with, and about d/Deaf people. Throughout the volume, the authors also show how the field provides challenges to established ways of thinking and working. The book is of interest to scholars within and outside of research concerning d/Deaf people(s), as well as practitioners in the fields of deaf education, social work and allied health professions.