The more geneticists discover about which genes cause what traits, the more medical practitioners as well as ethicists will have to deal with questions such as which of the myriad of identifiable conditions could or should be allowed for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and subsequent implantation via in vitro fertilization. Not a lot of controversy seems to be raised when it comes to performing PGD for serious genetic conditions such as Tay-Sachs disease or Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, but what about other characteristics, for example, those which we normally would call disabilities? This thesis tackles this question, and in partifular the possibility of implanting embryos with that screen positive for deafness, as deaf parents, especially those coming from the Deaf community who see their condition as a positive part of their identity and cultural belongingness, have expressed interest in ensuring the birth of a deaf child. This thesis thus raises the questions: is deafness a disease, or just an unfortunate condition? Are the deaf justified in purposefully implanting a baby diagnosed to be deaf? The thesis tries to grapple with why deaf parents may want deaf children, and show how these wishes may be justified. Concluding that neither the medical model of disease nor the principle-based approach—which weighs beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy and justice—are sufficient in opposing the implantation of deaf babies, it is proposed that a different theory, model or philosophy of health should be espoused if we are still to find the implantation of deaf babies problematic. That is, while the mainstream may ask: “Why ensure the birth of a deaf child?”, we ask, “Why not?” Policymakers and ethicists must be able to tackle this question sufficiently if they would allow to screen for deafness, but only to ensure the birth of hearing children.

The author argues that religion has provided the deaf community with a powerful language to convey their authority in struggles to preserve sign language. Employing religious rhetoric, the American deaf community historically overcame the oppression of a dominant hearing community that suppressed the use of sign language. Grounding his arguments for educating deaf Americans in his Protestant theology, the Reverend Thomas Gallaudet garnered support for the school by appealing to the Christian convictions of the citizens of Hartford - intertwining Protestantism with the emerging American deaf community. By exploring the school, sanctuary, and social activism of the American deaf community, the author provides evidence of deaf community rhetoric that includes religious themes and biblical references. For example, in the latter half of the nineteenth century, arguments for methods of how to teach deaf students divided on ideological grounds. Manualists who supported the use of sign language often grounded their arguments in Protestant theology, while oralists who were influenced by Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species grounded arguments in evolutionary thinking. The influence of biblical teachings was evident in the schools for the deaf. The chapel services perpetuated the use of sign language even in times when sign language was under attack. From these chapel services came a social purpose for the church sanctuary in the lives of deaf Americans in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century America. The sanctuary also provided the deaf community with a political platform advocating sign language use. The social activism of the deaf community has taken on many forms. In the early twentieth century, the National Association of the Deaf president, George Veditz, used film to capture his fiery Preservation of the Sign Language, which is filled with religious rhetoric advocating the deaf community’s use of sign language. More recently, Deaf West Theatre’ production of Big River is an example of how artful expression is used to support the values of the deaf community. This dissertation concludes with the suggestion that technology has replaced many of the functions of religion in the lives of deaf Americans and the author encourages further research in specific areas.

Submitted by Leonardo Cavalcante (leo.ocavalcante@gmail.com) on 2018-05-17T16:52:40Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Arquivototal.pdf: 1817299 bytes, checksum: ef43584dd09a8cc9299cbfdd13109759 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-17T16:52:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Arquivototal.pdf: 1817299 bytes, checksum: ef43584dd09a8cc9299cbfdd13109759 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-17 / This study aimed to investigate the emergence of the Deaf Movement in the city of Cajazeiras, in the state of Paraiba, Brazil, based on initiatives carried out before, during and after the movement called Setembro Azul (Blue September), a movement known nationally as an aggregator of the Daf community. Through action research, as a research-intervention process, it was possible to hold the first Setembro Azul in 2015 in Cajazeiras. Therefore, the event had two purposes: to serve as an object of research, and to encourage Deaf people to organize themselves around their linguistic-cultural rights. The specific objectives were: to verify participants' perceptions about their inclusion processes; to identify their forms of communication - whether by LIBRAS (Brazilian Sign Language) or by spontaneous gestures; and to evaluate the status given to LIBRAS by the Deaf, observing theoretical categories such as culture, identity and difference. Therefore, the theoretical scope of this dissertation is in the field of Cultural Studies in Education, which seeks to shift the discussion of minorities from the margins to the center, focusing on differences as a central category for re-signification of social and school practices. Data generated through systematic observation of the moments involving Setembro Azul/2015, and by discussions in a focus group showed that the first contacts with sign language occurred in the special school, an opportunity interrupted when the school was closed. The Deaf people of Cajazeiras/PB are in the process of building their Deaf Identities, a fact evidenced by their desire to be together with their peers, the founding of a Deaf Association, and the invitation to isolated Deaf persons to join the group. Regarding the right to education, their demands are: the creation of a Bilingual School, where LIBRAS is the First Language enabling interaction among Deaf people, students and teachers; and the availability of interpreters in various public spaces. / Este estudo tem como objetivo investigar o despontar do Movimento Surdo na cidade de Cajazeiras/PB, a partir das iniciativas realizadas antes, durante e após o movimento intitulado Setembro Azul/2015. Esse objetivo foi possível de ser alcançado devido à ação investigativa, em forma de pesquisa-intervenção, a qual viabilizou a existência do Setembro Azul/2015, movimento conhecido nacionalmente como agregador da comunidade Surda, primeiro a ser realizado na cidade de Cajazeiras/PB. Desse modo, o evento teve dupla finalidade: servir de objeto para a presente pesquisa e buscar incentivar as pessoas Surdas a se organizarem em torno de seus direitos linguístico-culturais. Para tanto, estipulamos como objetivos específicos: verificar a percepção dos/as participantes sobre seus processos de inclusão; identificar suas formas de comunicação - se eram usuários da LIBRAS (Língua Brasileira de Sinais) ou se a comunicação se dava por meio de gestos espontâneos; avaliar o status dado à LIBRAS pelos Surdos/as, observando as categorias teóricas cultura, identidade e diferença. O escopo teórico da dissertação se insere no campo de conhecimentos dos Estudos Culturais da Educação, o qual procura deslocar a discussão das minorias das margens para o centro, focando as diferenças como categoria fulcral a ser considerada na ressignificação das práticas sociais e escolares. Os dados revelados, por meio de observações sistemáticas dos momentos que envolveram o Setembro Azul/2015 e discussões em grupo-focal, mostraram que foi no espaço da escola especial onde ocorreram os primeiros contatos com os sinais, oportunidade interrompida com o fechamento da referida escola; as pessoas Surdas da cidade de Cajazeiras/PB estão em processo de construção de suas Identidades Surdas, fato constatado pelo desejo de estarem juntas com seus pares, com a fundação de uma Associação de Surdos e o chamamento para participar do grupo os/às Surdos/as que vivem isolados. No que diz respeito ao direito à educação, faz parte de suas reinvindicações: a criação de uma Escola Bilíngue, onde a LIBRAS se constitua a L1, na interação com pessoas Surdas, alunos/as e professores/as; e a disponibilidade de intérpretes nos espaços públicos diversos.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-04-07T12:38:15Z No. of bitstreams: 1 paulaguedesbigogno.pdf: 1359568 bytes, checksum: 78743da5402cffb193070535e5cd28fe (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-04-24T03:45:20Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 paulaguedesbigogno.pdf: 1359568 bytes, checksum: 78743da5402cffb193070535e5cd28fe (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-24T03:45:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 paulaguedesbigogno.pdf: 1359568 bytes, checksum: 78743da5402cffb193070535e5cd28fe (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-07-24 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Esta dissertação tem como objetivo a investigação de um grupo de surdos na cidade de Juiz de Fora, que a partir da reivindicação de reconhecimento e inserção social, tem construído uma rede de interações, propondo-se a vivenciar uma “comunidade surda”. Além da particularidade sensorial dessas pessoas e do uso da Língua Brasileira de Sinais (Libras), foi observado um caráter militante, ativista nos discursos sobre surdez, que inclui as noções de identidade, comunidade e cultura. O trabalho de campo foi realizado e encontros diversos promovidos pela Associação dos Surdos de Juiz de Fora (ASJF), tais como palestras e festas. O principal espaço de pesquisa foi o Centro de Educação e Cultura para o Ensino de Libras (CECEL), especialmente nos momentos em que funcionava como um “clube de surdos” (SACKS, 2005). / This text aims to investigate a group of deaf people in Juiz de Fora -MG, Brasil. This group claims to recognition and social inclusion. It has built a network of interactions, proposing to experience a "deaf community". Besides the sensory characteristic of these people and the use of the Brazilian Sign Language (Libras), there was a militant character because of the activist discourses on deafness, including the notions of identity, community and culture. The surch has included several meetings promoted by the Association of the Deaf of Juiz de Fora (ASJF), such as lectures and parties. The main place of research was the Centro de Educação e Cultura para o Ensino de Libras (CECEL), especially at times when it operated as a "deaf club" (SACKS, 2005).

There has been a great amount of debate between the medical community and the Deaf community regarding cochlear implants. Indeed, some factions of the Deaf community have reacted with hostility to the development of the technology and have protested its implementation. Existing literature examines Deaf individuals' perceptions of cochlear implants, however there has been a significant lack of academic attention paid to the hearing children of deaf adults (codas). As children of deaf parents, codas grow up simultaneously inhabiting two worlds: the Deaf world of their parents and the hearing world of their peers. It is codas' unique position and loyalties between the Deaf world and the hearing world that make them important to the cochlear implant debate. This study investigates codas' perceptions of cochlear implantation using standard ethnographic methods, including in-depth, open-ended interviewing with codas, and immersion in the research population through ongoing participant-observation at a deaf school. The findings suggest that (1) codas' interstitial identity impacts their perceptions of and attitudes towards cochlear implantation and (2) cochlear implants have contributed to a refinement of Coda identity in relation to the Deaf community.

Esta dissertação tem como objetivo identificar algumas expressões de comunidades surdas através do humor. O instrumento mais utilizado para esta pesquisa é uma ferramenta da internet que vem sendo usada pelas comunidades surdas do mundo inteiro, o youtube. A pesquisa tem como proposta valorizar as produções surdas em língua de sinais para que estas sejam registradas, evitando que se percam informações sobre a cultura surda e trazendo contribuições para a cultura surda. Verifica-se que a produção de vídeos entre os surdos expõe questões igualmente pertinentes às comunidades surdas mesmo quando se tratam de países distantes. Os vídeos, em número de 20 (vinte), foram coletados entre março de 2008 até abril de 2010. A partir das noções de comunidade, de Bauman; de identidade, de Hall e da evidente necessidade de registro das produções dos surdos, percebe-se o quanto os vídeos analisados carregam marcas da vida e da experiência dos surdos e da língua de sinais. A relevância deste tipo de investigação é no sentido de perceber quais marcadores culturais são mostrados em relação aos surdos, o que os próprios surdos registram como parte de sua cultura e qual o estatuto da língua de sinais em um meio de comunicação como a internet; que mais do que comunicar, produz um modo de ser surdo. / This thesis aims to identify some expressions of deaf communities through humor. The most commonly instrument used for this research is an Internet tool that is being used by deaf communities in the whole world: youtube. The research proposal is to enhance the deaf production in sign language in ways that they be recorded, preventing them from losing information about deaf culture and making contributions to the education of deaf. It appears that the production of videos between deaf people also exposes issues pertaining to deaf communities even when dealing with distant countries. Videos by number of twenty (20) were collected from March 2008 to April 2010. Based on the notions of community, Bauman, of identity, of Hall and of the evident need for registration of deaf’s production, you realize how the analyzed videos bear marks of life and experience of the deaf and sign language. The relevance of such research is in order to understand which cultural indicators are shown in relation to the deaf, what do the deaf people register as part of their culture and what is the statute of sign language in a mean of communication like the Internet, which does more than communicate, produces a way of thinking.

The visibility achieved by deaf school, from the renitence of discourses that take deafness as a linguistic, cultural difference, has generated a scenario of permanent convergence between deaf school and community. This occurs due to the fact that the deaf community has found in the school space a trench that enables community articulations. Then, there are new possibilities of investigating practices delimitated by the symbolic space emerging from the intersection between school and community. This research attempts to understand the production of the pedagogical deaf subject in the convergence between the community and school spaces. In order to do that, the context of three cities in Rio Grande do Sul has been investigated: Caxias do Sul, Porto Alegre and Santa Maria, through discussions with deaf students and teachers participating in the deaf school and also acting as community leaders. Post-structuralist studies have provided the theoretical support for the analysis. The development of this study has allowed for a general perspective of the deaf community s moves from their cultural capital and the way it catalyzes possibilities of resistance. The deaf school, taken with great positivity, has been constituted as a privileged space of constitution of specific ways of being deaf. The community has been inserted into the school aiming at recursively investing in the formation of a political profile of the deaf who are subject to pedagogization in that school, with the purpose of guaranteeing the maintenance of the very community. / A visibilidade adquirida pela escola de surdos, com a renitência de discursos que tomam a surdez como diferença linguística e cultural, gera um cenário de permanente convergência entre comunidade e escola de surdos. Isso ocorre em razão de a comunidade surda ter encontrado no espaço da escola uma trincheira que possibilita as articulações comunitárias. Daí, abrem-se possibilidades de investigar práticas delimitadas pelo espaço simbólico emergente, considerando-se a intersecção entre escola e comunidade. Esta pesquisa busca entender como se dá a produção do sujeito pedagógico surdo na convergência entre os espaços comunitário e escolar. Para isso, investigou-se o contexto de três cidades do Rio Grande do Sul Caxias do Sul, Porto Alegre e Santa Maria , através de discussões com alunos e professores surdos partícipes da escola e também líderes da comunidade. Para realizar o empreendimento de análise da materialidade obtida, buscou-se sustentação teórica nos estudos de vertente pós-estruturalista. O desenvolvimento deste estudo possibilitou traçar um panorama no qual a comunidade surda se articula a partir do seu capital cultural e catalisa possibilidades de resistência. Já a escola de surdos, tomada com grande positividade, constitui-se como um espaço privilegiado de constituição de modos específicos de ser surdo. A partir disso, tem-se que a comunidade se insere na escola de surdos com o propósito de investir recursivamente na formação de um perfil político no surdo pedagogizado nessa escola, com vistas a assegurar a manutenção da própria comunidade.

Esta dissertação tem como objetivo identificar algumas expressões de comunidades surdas através do humor. O instrumento mais utilizado para esta pesquisa é uma ferramenta da internet que vem sendo usada pelas comunidades surdas do mundo inteiro, o youtube. A pesquisa tem como proposta valorizar as produções surdas em língua de sinais para que estas sejam registradas, evitando que se percam informações sobre a cultura surda e trazendo contribuições para a cultura surda. Verifica-se que a produção de vídeos entre os surdos expõe questões igualmente pertinentes às comunidades surdas mesmo quando se tratam de países distantes. Os vídeos, em número de 20 (vinte), foram coletados entre março de 2008 até abril de 2010. A partir das noções de comunidade, de Bauman; de identidade, de Hall e da evidente necessidade de registro das produções dos surdos, percebe-se o quanto os vídeos analisados carregam marcas da vida e da experiência dos surdos e da língua de sinais. A relevância deste tipo de investigação é no sentido de perceber quais marcadores culturais são mostrados em relação aos surdos, o que os próprios surdos registram como parte de sua cultura e qual o estatuto da língua de sinais em um meio de comunicação como a internet; que mais do que comunicar, produz um modo de ser surdo. / This thesis aims to identify some expressions of deaf communities through humor. The most commonly instrument used for this research is an Internet tool that is being used by deaf communities in the whole world: youtube. The research proposal is to enhance the deaf production in sign language in ways that they be recorded, preventing them from losing information about deaf culture and making contributions to the education of deaf. It appears that the production of videos between deaf people also exposes issues pertaining to deaf communities even when dealing with distant countries. Videos by number of twenty (20) were collected from March 2008 to April 2010. Based on the notions of community, Bauman, of identity, of Hall and of the evident need for registration of deaf’s production, you realize how the analyzed videos bear marks of life and experience of the deaf and sign language. The relevance of such research is in order to understand which cultural indicators are shown in relation to the deaf, what do the deaf people register as part of their culture and what is the statute of sign language in a mean of communication like the Internet, which does more than communicate, produces a way of thinking.

Esta dissertação tem como objetivo identificar algumas expressões de comunidades surdas através do humor. O instrumento mais utilizado para esta pesquisa é uma ferramenta da internet que vem sendo usada pelas comunidades surdas do mundo inteiro, o youtube. A pesquisa tem como proposta valorizar as produções surdas em língua de sinais para que estas sejam registradas, evitando que se percam informações sobre a cultura surda e trazendo contribuições para a cultura surda. Verifica-se que a produção de vídeos entre os surdos expõe questões igualmente pertinentes às comunidades surdas mesmo quando se tratam de países distantes. Os vídeos, em número de 20 (vinte), foram coletados entre março de 2008 até abril de 2010. A partir das noções de comunidade, de Bauman; de identidade, de Hall e da evidente necessidade de registro das produções dos surdos, percebe-se o quanto os vídeos analisados carregam marcas da vida e da experiência dos surdos e da língua de sinais. A relevância deste tipo de investigação é no sentido de perceber quais marcadores culturais são mostrados em relação aos surdos, o que os próprios surdos registram como parte de sua cultura e qual o estatuto da língua de sinais em um meio de comunicação como a internet; que mais do que comunicar, produz um modo de ser surdo. / This thesis aims to identify some expressions of deaf communities through humor. The most commonly instrument used for this research is an Internet tool that is being used by deaf communities in the whole world: youtube. The research proposal is to enhance the deaf production in sign language in ways that they be recorded, preventing them from losing information about deaf culture and making contributions to the education of deaf. It appears that the production of videos between deaf people also exposes issues pertaining to deaf communities even when dealing with distant countries. Videos by number of twenty (20) were collected from March 2008 to April 2010. Based on the notions of community, Bauman, of identity, of Hall and of the evident need for registration of deaf’s production, you realize how the analyzed videos bear marks of life and experience of the deaf and sign language. The relevance of such research is in order to understand which cultural indicators are shown in relation to the deaf, what do the deaf people register as part of their culture and what is the statute of sign language in a mean of communication like the Internet, which does more than communicate, produces a way of thinking.

This paper deals with the Deaf community in sub-Saharan Africa, with particular focus on the Republic of Congo, and Senegal. It explores how the humanitarian sector is reaching out to this community, especially regarding Sexual and Reproductive Health. Projects set up by UNFPA Congo and Senegal’s ONG Jeunesse Et Dévelopment, are examined within the framework of communication for development. By researching the nexus between the international organizational world and the deaf community, the plan is to gain understanding through methodological approaches such as semi structured interviews, a focus groups and document analysis including videos, that eventually will provide input that can lead to a more comprehensive and informative communication strategy for this group. As a large part of the Deaf community in the developing world isn’t able to read and write, their fundamental human rights are undermined, this is especially true when it comes to Sexual and Reproductive Health. Research from Kenya and Senegal have shown that people living with disabilities got slightly higher HIV seroprevalence compared to the rest of the population, while a study from Cameroun demonstrates that deaf individuals are three times more likely to contract an STI. Communication for development, behavior change communication, communication for social change as well as media development, got a significant role to play to lead the deaf community towards integration, inclusion and better access to information on Sexual and Reproductive Health. By including the deaf community and let them define their own needs through genuine participation, it is possible to strengthen their rights. Researching the deaf community in the developing world is like studying a micro-cosmos of the entire development debate, as many of the main challenges are present. By empowering the deaf community in Africa, the whole continent is empowered.