Reflections of a Deaf Scholar 211
authors as minimally bicultural in terms of belonging simultaneously to the world
of engaged scholarship and the world of everyday life” (p. 3).
In the first stages of my fieldwork in Cameroon, when I discussed the project with
the community, the research question was contextualized as “How can Cameroo-
nian deaf people develop?” Exploring this question further and discussing it with
the community, a Cameroonian deaf leader translated my research as “you can talk
about your problems,” which suggested a problem-saturated orientation.
Being able to share what people experience as existential problems and concerns
may be healing. However, apart from looking at life’s problems and adversities, I also
try to provide opportunities for a perspective of hope when looking at possibilities,
strengths, and solutions (see also Ward & Reuter, 2011). For example, I found a
strongly judgmental atmosphere and a lack of confidence among the deaf commu-
nity members in Cameroon. In individual interviews, everyone complained about
damage to the community caused by destructive gossip. This contrasted with the em-
pathic attitude I had tried to employ in my life story interviews based on respecting
privacy, listening, and accepting people.
When I discussed my first findings with the Cameroonian deaf community,
I brought up ambiguity at a collective gathering. On the one hand, Cameroonian
deaf people called each other “brothers and sisters” or “father and mother” at
such gatherings; on the other hand, they said that they did not socialize or form
friendships with other deaf people because of their destructive behavior.
However, the life stories also revealed the strength of community identification.
Older students in deaf schools took care of young students, often in a parental role,
which they continued to play in the adult deaf community. Older deaf people told
me they were proud to see young deaf people do well, and young deaf people rec-
ognized that the guidance of the elders had been important to them. It seemed that
perhaps, in their struggle for survival, deaf community members had forgotten this
element of care, a positive aspect of the collective.
When I discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the deaf family identification
in deaf community gatherings, deaf people were surprised, touched, and proud.
I explicitly recognized the element of care as a factor that has been important in
the development of a young deaf community and that can be valuable in a context
where the “deaf family” often takes over the some of the roles of the extended family
in an individual’s life. This discussion inspired reflection, and I believe there are
possibilities for lasting change if Cameroonian people are encouraged to use the
element of care as a strength.
This observation touches at the limits of my project and should be the subject of
further consideration in well-being social work, and community projects with deaf
people. However, it was important for me to attempt to plant a seed of awareness in
this community. This act is perhaps tantamount to practicing the Gallaudet mission
of empowerment in a contextualized manner, trying to find and throw sunlight on
seeds that can grow in the local soil. My awakening to a perspective of life inspired
by the interdependency and connection of people, as well as the need and right of
human beings to flourish, influenced me to look for possibilities for connection
and cooperation in this divided deaf community in Cameroon. The introduction