Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Deaf Characters In Young Adult Literature, Kimberly Gangwish

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

The multicultural literature movement has its roots in civil rights and the desire to give voice and representation to marginalized cultures. Literature is a societal artifact that can inform and influence the development of cultural identity. Deaf culture is a unique culture that is underrepresented in young adult literature. This underrepresentation places more importance on accurate representations of Deaf culture since young adult fiction may be the only exposure to Deaf culture that both hearing and deaf teenagers may have. Accurate representation in literature is necessary for deaf to see themselves in what they read and for hearing to better …