The next event in our 'Activism in Progress' series (organised by the race and social justice sub-committee) is taking place at 2pm on Wednesday 6th November. 

The abstract and the link to register for the event can be found below:

https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrd--hpjoqE9Mo5uiQdRD9MESNTp9JGBjc#/registration

Please do share the information with anyone you think might be interested. All welcome!

Laura

Deaf equality and human rights: Sign language documentation and the power of deaf-led research

Dr Nick Palfreyman, iSLanDS Institute, University of Central Lancashire

Deaf people in the Global South continue to face significant barriers to basic human rights, and many are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Meanwhile, lack of access to education is a persistent problem, and it remains difficult for deaf people to challenge the stigma and negative attitudes that they face. How can linguistic activism make a difference? In this presentation I reflect critically on my experiences as a deaf (socio)linguist in the Global North trying to leverage my power and influence to establish research hubs with deaf people in Indonesia and the Caribbean. In particular, I focus on the contributions that sign language documentation can make to the struggles outlined above, and share what I have learned about enabling South-South collaboration.

Dr Nick Palfreyman is a deaf researcher, and Director of the International Institute for Sign Languages and Deaf Studies (iSLanDS), which works with over 20 deaf leaders in the Global South. He has been working with deaf communities in the Global South since 2007, and since 2010 he has been working with deaf people in Indonesia, the Caribbean and elsewhere to harness the power of research to transform the lives of deaf people. He is currently leading an ELDP-funded project to document endangered sign languages in Indonesia, and an AHRC-DFG project comparing creoles and sign languages. He also works with early-career deaf researchers in Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Trinidad & Tobago to establish the AHRC-funded Deaf Caribbean Academic Network.

Future events:

The series will now run weekly throughout November and one final event in December, with details of each to follow. We are seeking nominations for the next series, to run in Spring 2024. You can nominate yourself or someone else here: https://forms.gle/NrW1rkzr6bhGvWW66 

We are focussing on work done in the UK HE context at present, on any aspect of racial and social justice in linguistics. Nominated presenters can be at any career stage in any role, and work can be at an early stage of 'in progress'. When making your nomination, please try to nominate a presenter from the marginalised communities under discussion where possible.