Through the Eye of the Needle

To many who hear, the deaf world is as foreign as a country never visited.Deaf World thus concerns itself less with the perspectives of the hearing and more with what Deaf people themselves think and do. Editor Lois Bragg asserts that English is for many signing people a second, infrequently used language and that Deaf culture is the socially transmitted pattern of behavior, values, beliefs, and expression of those who use American Sign Language. She has assembled an astonishing array of historical sources, political writings, and personal memoirs, from classic 19th-century manifestos to contemporary policy papers, on everything from eugenics to speech and lipreading, the right to work and marry, and the never-ending controversy over separation vs. social integration. At the heart of many of the selections lies the belief that Deaf Americans have long constituted an internal colony of sorts in the United States.While not attempting to speak for Deaf people en masse, this ambitious platform anthology places the Deaf on center stage, offering them an opportunity to represent the world--theirs as well as the hearing world--from a Deaf perspective. For Deaf readers, the book will be welcomed as a gift, both a companion to be savored and, as often, an opponent to be engaged and debated. And for the hearing, it serves as an unprecedented guide to a world and a culture so often overlooked.Comprising a judicious mix of published pieces and original essays solicited specifically for this volume, Deaf World marks a major contribution.

Review :

"A landmark in the history of Deaf studies. Bragg has assembled an astonishingly balanced selection of historical sources, personal memoirs, and critical essays to give readers a rich and varied panorama of perspectives."-Yerker Andersson, Professor Emeritus of Sociology and former Chair of Deaf Studies, Gallaudet University

"A most welcome contribution to the burgeoning field of Deaf Studies. The book performs a vital service to readers by providing them with a comprehensive collection of sources that narrate the struggles, accomplishments and aspirations of our nation's deaf community."-I. King Jordan, President, Gallaudet University

"This is one of those marvelous initiatives that, when you see it, leads you to say, Why didn't I think of that?' A very valuable resource not only for the growing numbers of students in Deaf Studies but for everyone who seeks to understand the world of culturally Deaf people."-Harlan Lane, University Distinguished Professor, Northeastern University