Laura Smith

Born Deaf to Deaf parents in Michigan, Laura Smith graduated from the Michigan School for the Deaf in 1978 and Gallaudet University in 2004.  Currently, she is Assistant professor in the Department of American Sign Language and Interpreter Education at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU). She earned her M.S. degree in Deaf Education from McDaniel College. In 1993, Laura completed her training in Deaf interpreting for the American Judiciary System at California State University-Northridge, in Los Angeles, CA. She has been teaching ASL in secondary and post-secondary education for 20+ years in Michigan, Maryland, Washington D.C, Virginia and KY.  Laura’s interests include ASL pedagogy, Deafhood studies, and Appalachian studies.  

A Look into Two Colonized Communities in America: The Appalachian Community and the Deaf Community.

At first glance, the Appalachian community and the Deaf community may not appear to have much in common.  The Appalachian community is a regional area located mainly in Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and the western part of Virginia (Lewis et al., 1978).  The Deaf community is understood to be a loosely connected network of Deaf individuals, Schools for the Deaf, and organizations with a common bond of language (American Sign Language) and cultural norms (Padden and Humphries, 1988, Lane et al., 1996).  However, a look at both communities reveals a similar process of colonization that is still practiced in America.
The study of colonialism is not restricted solely to the colonization of various countries by European and American governments/corporations, but also can be understood in the context of subordination to a larger entity with greater economic or linguistic control.   This leads to a political context in which the colonial and imperialist framework is challenged and de-colonization is an integral aspect of breaking free from these entities (Lewis et al. 1978, Iafrate 2012, Ladd 2003).
In this paper, we consider two forms of colonialism in America still being practiced today with the Appalachian and Deaf communities.  Both communities share similar characteristics and have a relationship with a larger economic or linguistic entity that profit from them staying in their subordinate roles.  That is, they are members of a subaltern that have no or limited access to a larger economic or linguistic power (Ladd 2003).  We compare these communities and illustrate the process of colonization to better understand how we can challenge the systemic oppression of Deaf Americans and show how this fits within the framework of post-colonial studies.