Reflections of a Deaf Scholar 203
1954 became the first deaf African American to receive a bachelor’s degree from
Gallaudet College, but also world leaders such as Gandhi and Mandela.^14
I realized that part of the empowerment conflict I experienced had its origins
in a one-sided notion of “empowerment.” As a reaction to a narrow focus on
pathology—that is, on the negative aspects of life—the concept of deaf empower-
ment emphasizes positive change that contributes to better life chances and greater
well-being for deaf people. But this concept becomes problematic when it leaves no
room for loss, failure, and other forms of adversity.
In their 2011 book Psychologie van de Levenskunst (psychology of the Art of Living),
Westerhof and Bohlmeijer argue “for a balance between engagement and accep-
tance” and for taking into account what Seligman (2011) calls a “pleasant life,”
“meaningful life,” and “engaged life,” “in identifying and recognizing the boundar-
ies of what can be done” (cited in Westerhof & Bohlmeijer, p. 4). I understood that
I needed to take “the third way”—to live an engaged life that fostered confidence.
Looking at what I was actually doing in this process, in “the struggle to ‘right the
ship’ and ‘keep our heads above water’ ” (Ward & Reuter, 2011, p. 38), I understood
that my sense of empowerment at that time meant recognizing the strengths that
were present in the process, such as perseverance (“Keep going. Never, ever give up”)
and compassion. I sometimes give meaning to this process as one that enabled me
to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of oppression I was studying and
that are experienced by so many people; of people’s feelings of anger, powerlessness,
passivity, and despair that may occur therein; and of how to channel these feelings
into inner peace, strength, confidence, and renewed energy for action.
Also important were the positive expectations of Flemish deaf participants who
had assisted my research and viewed the study as a validation of their own deaf cul-
tural perspectives.
After a couple of months I had gathered sufficient strength from these resources
to go for my doctorate, although it was still hard to convince myself to have faith in
the outcome of the process. Although I had developed the mental strength to deal
with whatever would come, I knew that if I wanted to achieve my goals, I would have
to try my best and I would have to stand strong.^15
The notion of self-care advanced by Foucault (1998), which includes aspects of
self and community, is helpful for understanding this ethical position. He views self-
care as part of living a good life. It includes finding the strength to move beyond
existential powerlessness and to build a meaningful life, which also includes exercis-
ing citizenship and contributing to the community.
I also knew that if I wanted to pursue a doctorate, it was up to me to actually make
it happen. In De Verovering van de Vrijheid (The Conquest of Freedom), Flemish
philosopher Alicjia Gescinska (2011) draws on her own life story of arriving as an
immigrant in Belgium to analyze and reflect on the notion of freedom and the
long-expected liberty of the West that her family had dreamt of. She recalls the- Chapter 5 provides further information on Andrew Foster, the school he established in
Cameroon, and the Christian Mission for the Deaf in Nigeria. - “Standing strong” is also a theme in Chapters 3, 4, 6, and 8.