
“Nothing About Us Without Us.” The Storied Narratives of a Researcher with Hearing Impairment
Issue: Vol.4 No.9 Article 4 pp.1058-1071
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2023494 | Published online 8th September, 2023
© 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
The motivation for this study was the realization that the mantra: “nothing about us without us” is indeed a strong foundation for a better understanding of the learning experiences of learners with a hearing impairment. Therefore, analysing the lived experiences of a learner as an insider is a point of departure for the current research paper. The emphasis was to conduct a qualitative research study anchored on an interpretivist paradigm. The study adopted Sen’s Capabilities Approach in framing the lenses through which to view the phenomena under evaluation. The study analysed a journal paper about the reflections of a Deaf researcher who attended a mainstream school. The findings of the study suggested that the narratives of learners with hearing impairment seem to give a better perspective of their learning experiences. As such, hearing their stories can be used as the basis for the evaluation of teaching strategies on the one hand; and education policies that address their unique and diverse learning needs on the other.
Keywords: Storied Narratives, Hearing Impairment, Special Educational Needs, Teaching Strategies, Content Analysis, South African Sign Language (SASL)
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Ntsoaki Teresa Mokala holds a PhD in Inclusive Education from the University of Johannesburg, an M. Ed in Inclusive Education from University of the Witwatersrand, a B. Ed. Hon and PGDE in Learner Support and Psychology of Education from the University of the Free State and a B. Ed. degree from National University of Lesotho. She writes and presents widely on issues of language education, African culture, women and culture, multilingualism, translanguaging, inclusive education, diversity in classrooms, teaching home languages in multilingual settings, teacher training, as well as linguistic diversity in classrooms.
Prof. Maximus Monaheng Sefotho is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology (with a specialization/focus on Career Guidance and Disability) at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. His research and teaching work focuses on Career Choice/Construction within the sphere of Contemporary Careers: Protean and Boundaryless as well as hephapreneurship (A concept he coined). He was the first registered member of the South African Career Development Association (SACDA), which he serves as board member up to this day. He has contributed in the development of the competency framework for career development practitioners and currently has developed an interest in the transition of differently abled persons from home through to the world of work. His later work has emphasised an Afrocentric approach that is driven by the philosophy of Ubuntu. In search of an Ubuntu Model of Career Development, Prof. Sefotho interrogates harmonising Ubuntu with Euro-Western models in addressing equity, social justice and avoiding harmful beneficence.
Mokala, Ntsoaki Teresa and Maximus Monaheng Sefotho, ““Nothing About Us Without Us.” The Storied Narratives of a Researcher with Hearing Impairment.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 4, no.9 (2023): 1058-1071. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2023494
© 2023 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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