5
Acknowledgments
this book represents the incredible expertise of several treasured groups and indi-
viduals. the remarkable assistance and encouragement they have provided to this
work has exceeded all my expectations many times over.
Firstly, I wish to warmheartedly thank all the research participants who generously
shared their experiences and narrated their life stories, including deaf community
members in Flanders, Cameroon, and uganda and international deaf people at
Gallaudet university in the united states. this book could not have been written
without your exceptional effort across the past ten years. I have felt honored to lis-
ten to your stories, and I have learned enough from you to fill many more volumes.
Being written in all these places and completed in the united Kingdom, where I
am currently working with deaf migrants and British deaf people, this book already
travelled a lot before it was in print. I hope that it will continue to travel and evolve
through further research and discussion, as a resource inspiring and contributing
to deaf people’s emancipation and empowerment.
In addition, my gratitude goes to Ivey Pittle Wallace and Gallaudet university for
their support throughout the time of writing. I give special appreciation to my col-
league Donald Moores for generously seeing the book through and to rik Pinxten
for mentoring me over the years and commenting on drafts of my papers. thanks to
sam Lutalo-Kiingi for our fruitful years of scholarly cooperation in Cameroon and
uganda, to Griet roets for sharing nomadic research pathways, and to Peter Paul
for being a champion of this project. I am also thankful to vincent Ercolano and
Jenny Webster for proofreading chapters and engaging in this work from the heart.
Furthermore, I am indebted to Fevlado (the Flemish Association of the Deaf), the
Cameroon national Association of the Deaf, the ugandan national Association of
the Deaf, the European union of the Deaf, the World Federation of the Deaf and
all local deaf clubs with whom I have cooperated for their advocacy of this research.
During my time at Gallaudet, the office of International services did all they
could to create an optimal environment in which to conduct my study, and for this
I especially thank Bunmi Aina and Lawrence Musa. For cooperation and cross-cul-
tural discussions, I am grateful to the late yerker Andersson, steven Chough, and
my former roommates Elena Madina oregui, Fernando Ayala ruiz, Peter regan,
and Argiroula Zangana. My deepest thanks is also offered to rossana reiss, for her
friendship, and equally to Jiayi Zhou, whose artistic talents have enriched my life
and work. I have hearty appreciation for the warm camaraderie of simona trani,
Anne Marie nielsen, and Wendy Murray as well.