Inside Deaf Culture

“This well-organized and clearly written book provides a fascinating inside look at the development of Deaf culture… Padden and Humphries’s presentation of these marvelous insights into the history and development of the language and beliefs of the Deaf should be viewed as a welcome step in the quest to inform the hearing world of the rich and fertile culture of the authors’ beloved community.”—Susan Waltzman, New England Journal of Medicine

“Inside Deaf Culture is a fascinating account of the rise of group identity among deaf people… Padden and Humphries shed light on the rise of Deaf schools, social clubs and theaters from the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries—a history that is unknown to many.”—Jeremy Funk, Christian Century

“Carol Padden and Tom Humphries have done it again—and readers everywhere should be grateful. Almost twenty years ago, Padden and Humphries helped transform the nascent and promising field of deaf history with their path-breaking and still relevant book, Deaf in America: Voices from a Culture. In their current work, Padden and Humphries further explore formative ‘cultural moments’ in the deaf community—what they describe as the generative ideas and influences that shape how deaf people identify themselves… This book is a valuable exploration of the deaf community.”—Robert M. Buchanan, American Historical Review

“What a bold and courageous book! Carol Padden and Tom Humphries shed light on significant moments in the history of the American Deaf community. They show how struggles for power and dominance have run through their experience for more than a century, from coercive methods of teaching language to efforts of modern science to ‘correct’ and possibly even eliminate deafness—and with it, Deaf culture.”—Glenn Anderson, Professor and Director of Training, University of Arkansas Rehabilitation Research & Training Center for Persons Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

“Inside Deaf Culture is a valuable addition to the growing collection of historical material about the Deaf community in the United States of America. It will add much to a better understanding of who we Deaf people are.”—Jack Gannon, author of Deaf Heritage

“With writing remarkable for its grace, simplicity, and clarity, Padden and Humphries hold Deaf culture before our eyes for many faceted inspection. This book will be enormously important to ASL teachers, to teachers of Deaf studies, and to Deaf and hearing people who want to understand the Deaf World.”—Harlan Lane, author of A Journey into the Deaf-World