Date of Award
2013
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Social Sciences
First Advisor
Vesperi, Maria
Keywords
Deaf Culture, ASL, Ethnography
Area of Concentration
Anthropology
Abstract
My thesis focuses on understanding why people who identify as either hearing or deaf become members of Deaf culture. This cultural group includes those who were born deaf, were late-deafened, and those who still have the ability to hear; people with all levels of hearing or deafness are able to join the Deaf community if they learn to use American Sign Language (ASL). In Sarasota, Florida, I found that the Deaf community will welcome anyone who is able to use ASL. Through participant observation and interviews with members of the Sarasota Deaf community, my research examines the self-identifying factors among people who decide to join the Deaf community versus people who remain solely within the Hearing culture.
Recommended Citation
Ploss, Jessica, "HEAR ME SIGN: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF THE DEAF CULTURE OF SARASOTA, FLORIDA" (2013). Theses & ETDs. 6798.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/6798
Rights
The author has granted New College of Florida the nonexclusive right to archive, make accessible, and distribute for educational purposes this work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The copyright of this work remains with the author.