Reflections of a Deaf Scholar 191
sections, I describe the process I went through during my doctoral program, includ-
ing the hindrances and struggles I encountered as well as the revelations that came
from these obstacles with respect to strength-centered ethnography.THE CHALLENGE OF BREAKING THROUGH
THE “GLASS CEILING”
When I started my doctoral studies, I was not very familiar with the academic
scene. As I mentioned previously, there were no deaf scholars or deaf professors in
Belgium, and I did not have close friends who were enrolled in a doctoral program.
At that time, Flemish deaf people thought of a doctorate as a degree obtained by
hearing scholars who had worked with the deaf community or conducted research
on deafness. Some deaf people had become professors, but that seemed to be far
from what I was doing. When I arrived at Gallaudet I looked like an undergraduate,
and students would often ask me what my major was. When I would respond that I
was doing a doctorate, the way I was introduced to other students would suddenly
change: “She’s a phD student!” In the last 10 years, more young deaf people in
Flanders have graduated from universities, and opportunities to study abroad have
increased. The “prestige” associated with a doctorate has become appealing—and
attainable—in the minds of Flemish deaf people.
I am privileged in my opportunities, first to be able to do doctoral studies and
now to continue doing research. In “The Biography in the Shadow,” a chapter in
her 2003 book Translated Woman, Ruth Behar reflects on her own life story, studies,
and position as a scholar in an attempt to provide transparency about the privilege
that enabled her to write the life history of Esperanza, a Mexican peddler. Behar
learns to find her own voice and construct her own identity among the ambiguities
of being a minority woman scholar. During my doctoral studies, I went through a
similar process: I became aware of my social position as a young deaf scholar and
as the first deaf doctoral student in Flanders to conduct research with the Flemish
deaf community and publicly defend her thesis in sign language. In my application
for the Belgian American Educational Foundation grant, I wrote about a “love-hate”
relationship with the university: I love it as a place of knowledge, and I hate it for
its limited access. Whereas during my bachelor’s and master’s studies my concerns
were mostly related to access, as a phD student I met an additional barrier in the
dynamics of power. I learned that the mysterious “glass ceiling” did, in fact, exist and
that I had to break through it.
In the first year of my doctoral studies, administrative obstacles in my department
made it difficult for me to function, both professionally and personally. It took more
than a year and the writing of many letters for interpreters to be paid for some of my
courses. Although there was a need for deaf studies expertise in Flanders and the uni-
versity encouraged the participation of international scholars on doctoral committees,
I could not get permission to include a U.S. professor on my committee. When an
advisory committee was finally established, consisting of Flemish scholars only, I did
not experience the feedback as positive or constructive. Supervision was very minimal,
which was the biggest challenge for me. Fascinated by the topic, I worked hard on the