March 25, 2019
Investigating the Matrix of Dominance Through Audism
The College of Education’s Diversity Committee hosted their Spring Speakers Event, “Investigating the Matrix of Dominance Through Audism,” on March 12 at the East Carolina Heart Institute. Dr Flavia. Fleischer, Professor in Deaf Studies at California State University Northridge (CSUN), and Dr. Will Garrow, Associate Professor in Deaf Studies at CSUN, talked about the interconnectedness of audism—the systematic oppression of Deaf people—and other forms of oppression, like racism and sexism. Rooted in the Critical Race Theory concepts of micro, meso, macro-aggressions, their presentation provided an intersectional analysis of the lived experience of the Deaf community. Joining Drs. Fleischer and Garrow were two Deaf People of Color, Ms. Jaspreet Ghotra and Mr. John Pak, who provided first-hand narratives illustrating those concepts. Ms. Ghotra and Mr. Pak—also CSUN lecturers— shared very personal examples of how audism, racism, and sexism has impacted their lives and schooling and how access to signing and Deaf culture has helped them thrive in the face of oppression. The presentation had clear implications for the need for schools, universities, and the broader community to give students full access to their linguistic and cultural capital.
“This was a great opportunity to talk about the connection between different forms of oppression and for us all to learn about being more culturally responsive with our students, schools, and communities,” said Dr. Ben Balisdell.
The personal stories of the students resonated with many in the audience.
“As someone with a congenital severe/profound hearing disability, I was intrigued about the term Audism and its relation to the topic of racial dominance,” said Dr. Laura King, Director of the Irene Howell Assistive Technology (IHAT) Center. “The conversations that were facilitated through storytelling were powerful, and I personally related strongly to what was being shared. Initially some of the selected terminology seemed overly harsh to me – terms like dominance, meso/micro-aggressions, dehumanizing – but I gained a better understanding of why these terms are used. The lived examples that were shared helped underscore the importance of each of us understanding how we have privilege over other populations, whether we are talking about disability, race, gender,….in ways that we haven’t even begun to recognize or consider. These types of conversations are a call to action, individual and collective, to think/learn more critically from the perspectives of those who are different from us, and perhaps most importantly, let it lead to outward change in behaviors based on what we learn about ourselves.”
Speaker Bios:
Flavia S. Fleischer, Ph.D. Professor, Deaf Studies California State University Northridge (CSUN) Dr. Flavia Fleischer is a fourth generation Deaf and currently the Deaf Studies Department Chair. She has a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Gallaudet University and two M.A. degrees—one in Interdisciplinary Studies in Deaf Education, Deaf Studies and Linguistics from CSUN, and one in ASL Linguistics from Gallaudet. Dr. Fleischer was born to the field of Deaf Studies, her father was one of the pioneering academics in the field. Although her academic background is in linguistics, Dr. Fleischer is an activist and very interested in fighting against oppression of all minorities, especially of deaf people.
William G. Garrow, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Deaf Studies California State University Northridge (CSUN) Dr. Will Garrow holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. from Gallaudet University. Originally from upstate New York, he was first introduced to the Deaf community through snowboarding. Ever since, he has been very involved with the Deaf community. Dr. Garrow’s research and activism focus on how the intersectionality of audism and the other isms impact our society and on how communities use Community Cultural Wealth to resist various forms of oppressions.