206 Deaf Epistemologies, Identity, and Learning
and discussion of research findings through multimedia outlets, presentations,
and workshops in various (signed) languages and at multiple locations. These are
aspects of “slow science” (Research Europe, 2012), and I appreciate that I have still
been able to practice science as “craftsmanship” (Gosselin, 2012), finding joy in the
further refinement of academic skills and maintaining an orientation toward inno-
vative and high-quality research while finding scope for creativity.
Someone has to go first, and from a broader perspective of social justice, I hope
that my breaking through the glass ceiling contributes to further social change and
to equal opportunities for deaf learners and deaf adults in employment. In her book
about religious minorities, Nussbaum (2012) discusses the demands on minorities
in terms of addressing issues of justice and equality: “They have to watch themselves
and hesitate, asking whether they are doing everything in their power so as not to
give offence” (p. 220). I have learned that this negotiation process is part of my job
and part of active citizenship, and I have continued to develop proposals for access
and inclusion for deaf students and staff at Ghent over the last decade.
At the moment of writing, positive policy developments can be observed on the
Flemish scene, such as the breakthrough in the provision of interpreting for students
in secondary and advanced education, the possibility that international interpreters
will be provided by the Flemish government when they are required in employment,
and further attention and initiatives for gender studies and diversity issues. Another
concrete achievement occurred in early 2014, when the Flemish government decided
to provide funding to Research Foundation Flanders to sustain the research efforts
of scholars with disabilities. An application I submitted for support of my research
started the chain of events that made this new policy possible. One indication of the
power of advocacy in this case—and of the extent of the obstacles I had been facing
as a scholar—is that, in my case, the funding was made retroactive to 2009.
This could be an example of an emancipation journey within academia itself,
which, in spite of the (spiritual) circle of support, has also necessarily been lonely
and silent, perhaps requiring a space between voice and silence, as explored in Chap-
ter 6. Despite the many incredible opportunities and outcomes on balance, time
and energy was irretrievably lost on battling for access into academia, for example
being often unable to publish due to insufficient language support provision. Doing
a research study on deaf empowerment, a topic that had emerged organically from
my own life and the community I participated in and which I wanted to understand,
turned into a real struggle that was illustrative of these processes of emancipation-
within Flemish society and academia. These kinds of struggles not only undermine
the vulnerable self-esteem and position of a young scholar, but also consume pre-
cious resources and prevent them from being invested in research. These social
processes remain little-recognized in the scholarly world, so there is currently an
absence of understanding about how to maintain one’s integrity and sense of schol-
arship in the light of this type of adversity. My own experience is only a very tiny
stone in a vast river, and yet I hope that this academic perseverance has made some
humble contribution to the community’s empowerment and wisdom.
How do deaf people become strong? My quest for answers to this question has
taken me on a journey across the world; it has forced me to take an honest look