Demystifying Deafness: A Discussion on the Deaf Experience in Mainstream Society During the Pandemic

Abstract

Deaf people have faced a variety of oppressive acts in the form of structural discrimination throughout their history in North America. Since the onset of the pandemic, these acts have become exacerbated to the point where Deaf Culture and American Sign Language has had to find new ways to adapt to the pandemic era of masks and the virtual environment. By utilizing theories from Goffman, Gal, and Du Bois, these theoretical lenses set the base for understanding the deaf experience through the pandemic. In the pandemic environment, Deaf culture gained notice in mainstream society but not for the struggles they faced during the pandemic, bringing into question what a possible future, post-pandemic, could look like for Deaf Culture.