Reflections of a Deaf Scholar 199
of giving didn’t fit in. It took me some time to find out what was going on and to
open up the empowerment concept.^12
From an anthropological perspective, Mathews and Izquierdo (2010) reflect on
the concept of well-being in the American context: “Indeed, in a society declaring
in its founding document the inalienable right to ‘the pursuit of happiness,’ one is
culturally enjoined to pursue and proclaim one’s happiness. It is almost as if one is
required to be happy, or at least to be able to describe how one is earnestly pursuing
such a state, in order to be fully and normally American” (p. 7).
Likewise, in an article titled “What’s Wrong With Empowerment?” Riger (1997)
recommends attention to the complexity of empowerment processes in U.S. com-
munity psychology research and to the role of connectedness in human well-being:
The highly valued attributes that our society defines as agentic are those asso-
ciated with power and status because autonomy and mastery require the free-
dom to make choices. Those not in a position of autonomy and choice must
focus on connection and communal goals to survive. Accordingly, whether
individuals act in an autonomous manner or operate in a communal mode
reflects their relative position in the social structure. (p. 288)
perhaps my own response of relying spiritually on community resources in a situ-
ation where autonomy, choice, and the ability to engage in reciprocal community
modes were restricted gave me further insight into the complexity of empowerment
processes. At that time, recalling a meeting on the Gallaudet campus with an Afri-
can deaf friend was helpful in my search for meaning in the ambiguities of life and
research. The pressure to achieve had made him tired and stressed, and he said,
“you know, nobody can lead all the time.” Another international friend told me,
“What are you worrying about? you are deaf, so what is the problem?” It was as if he
were telling me that these struggles are an inherent part of deaf life, and that living
this life is already a sufficient answer to the cultural imperative of reciprocity.
My friends shared their life lessons at just the right time. These stories renewed
my feeling that I was part of something bigger than myself, and they motivated me
to go on with my studies. Reflecting on deaf leadership at Gallaudet, an African deaf
leader talked about learning how to “stand”:
From involvement in these things, it helps you to see where you are going,
and at the same time, it helps us to become leaders ourselves. We can help
other generations to look up at us and see where we go.... This is where we
deaf people stand for ourselves and help ourselves become leaders.
The notion of involvement refers to opportunities for participation at Gallaudet,
experiences of equality, and responsibility for the community and future generations.- Deaf cultural rhetoric and empowerment are discussed in Chapter 3 on Flemish deaf role mod-
els and Chapter 4 on international deaf people at Gallaudet. A relational perspective on citizenship
and empowerment is considered in Chapter 6, which also provides critical perspectives that emerge
from diversity within deaf communities. Deaf empowerment concepts and discourse in connection with
development are explored in Chapters 5 and 8.