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Empowerment in the Deaf Community: Analyzing the Posts of Internet Weblogs

Hamill, Alexis Claire
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1236977452

Abstract Details

2009, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, Psychology/Clinical.
Deaf people represent a minority group usually considered disabled. However, about 300,000 Deaf Americans do not identify themselves as disabled, but rather as members of a cultural and linguistic group. The Internet has become a useful tool for Deaf people to communicate about this culture and work toward equality in the hearing world. Weblogs in particular have become a popular vehicle for communication in the Deaf world. The present study examined the degree to which Deaf authors of weblogs discuss personal empowerment and encourage the empowerment of the Deaf community through Internet weblogs. Three months of eight weblogs authored by nine members of the Deaf community were analyzed for personal and community level empowerment and Deaf cultural perspectives. Over 400 weblog entries were analyzed using qualitative methodology. Results suggest that Deaf bloggers frequently discuss community level empowerment and rarely discuss personal level empowerment. These bloggers demonstrated five main approaches to empowerment: encouraging and organizing members to action, disseminating information, highlighting members' abilities and contributions, using themedia to influence perceptions of mainstream society, and discussing injustice and oppression. Results also provide empirical support of previous literature on Deaf cultural perspectives. Implications of Deaf perspectives and community level empowerment strategies for working with the Deaf community are discussed.
Catherine Stein, PhD (Advisor)
Dale Klopfer, PhD (Committee Chair)
Robert Carels, PhD (Committee Chair)
114 p.
Psychology
Deaf; Deaf community; empowerment; Deaf culture; Internet research; Weblogs

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Hamill, A. C. (2009). Empowerment in the Deaf Community: Analyzing the Posts of Internet Weblogs [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1236977452

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Hamill, Alexis. Empowerment in the Deaf Community: Analyzing the Posts of Internet Weblogs. 2009. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1236977452.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Hamill, Alexis. "Empowerment in the Deaf Community: Analyzing the Posts of Internet Weblogs." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1236977452

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1236977452
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© 2009, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.