Weds 17th June 2026
4-5.30pm
Presenter: Annelies Kusters
2c. Deaf space
Deaf spaces take many different forms. They can be organised in institutions, such as clubs, associations, schools, universities, and conferences, or come into existence informally, such as cafés, family gatherings, or spontaneous encounters. They exist offline and online. Within these spaces, deaf people connect through shared experiences and sign languages, but they also set up spaces around specific shared interests, backgrounds, or life experiences in addition to deafness, such as in queer deaf spaces, or deaf spaces consisting mostly of migrants. Deaf spaces can be supportive and celebratory, but they can also be exclusionary, reflecting differences related to language background, race, class, gender, sexuality, disability, religion, or migration histories. Exploring this diversity of deaf spaces shows how deaf people actively build environments that foreground sign language communication, while also negotiating inclusion and exclusion in complex ways.
