What communities are overlooked in oral history practice, and in history-making more broadly? Deaf and hard of hearing people are often left out of oral history – even the phrase “oral history” is exclusive. Narrative history interviews conducted in American Sign Language with a commitment to visual and auditory access require methodological and ethical care. Using their Deaf NYC project as a case study, Brian Greenwald and collaborators from Gallaudet University will share what they have learned about how to make bilingual and dual-model interviews accessible for everybody, including insights about doing video and visual history and working with translation that resonate with core questions in the field of oral history today.
This event will explore practices of embedded community history via the experiences of Deaf New Yorkers. Deaf stories illustrate not only the values and experiences of a cultural-linguistic community, but also the economics of New York City, neighborhood change, and shifting centers of employment. Interviews with Deaf people can reveal basic human stories of navigating a city where diversity is on every street corner, some of it invisible. Greenwald and team will share stories about bias and barriers, organizational vs familial generations, and why the 14th Street subway stop became a hub for Deaf youth.
Brian H. Greenwald is professor of history and Director of the Drs. John S. and Betty J. Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center at Gallaudet University. He is co-editor of A Fair Chance in the Race of Life: The Role of Gallaudet University in Deaf History and In Our Own Hands: Essays in Deaf History, 1780-1970. Brian has presented widely on many topics on American Deaf history. Currently, he is co-director (with Jean L. Bergey) of the Deaf NYC: Signs of Change project that explores deaf life in New York City during the late 19th and 20th centuries.
As a graduate student research assistant at the Drs. John S. and Betty J. Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center, Brianna DiGiovanni has been working on the Deaf NYC: Signs of Change project that explores deaf life in New York City during the late 19th and 20th centuries for several years. She has been also involved with different exhibits at the Gallaudet University Archives and Deaf Collections. Being a life-long student with a passion in history, Ms. DiGiovanni is currently pursuing a M.A. in Secondary Education and Deaf Education with a concentration in Social Studies to further her knowledge of history and teaching, and progress toward a career as a history teacher.
These events are open to all. For more information or if we can make any of these events more accessible to you please contact Rebecca McGilveray at rlm2203@columbia.edu.
This event will be recorded. As with our oral history interviews, we will wait until after the event to determine with the guest(s) whether or not they want to share the recording more publicly. You can follow our social media channels/mailing list for updates on if/when recordings are made available!