Deaf Community and the Brazilian Sign Language - Reports of a Deaf teacher

Abstract

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14244/19827199800

The present study is part of a broader qualitative research - a dissertation entitled "Environmental Education: Imagistic resources in the production of meaning of a Deaf child" - which was developed by the Graduate Program in Environmental Education of the Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG), Brazil. This article presents the position of a Deaf teacher from Rio Grande do Sul state in relation to the construction of their deaf identity, considering the key role of the Deaf Community and the native language of a signaled Deaf person - the Brazilian Sign Language (Libras). This paper is based on a socio-historical theoretical and methodological approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a Deaf teacher, and imagery resources that enabled the emergence of life narratives of the research subject were also used. Data was analyzed through content analysis, whose category, the subject of this article, refers to the Deaf Community that uses Libras. The narratives demonstrated the importance of the Deaf Community for the Deaf, as well as the apprehension of their language, the Brazilian Sign Language, highlighting the legal achievements and challenges faced for the recognition and appreciation of this language in our country, both in regular and inclusive schools and  in higher education. Moreover, the Deaf Community is configured as a place of belonging, from which the Deaf can display and enhance their Deaf identity, their stories, extolling their cultural difference.

Keywords: Deaf community, Identity, Socio-historical approach.