German Sign Language and
Communication of the Deaf
Photo: UHH/Denstorf
28 June 2022, by Pamela Sundhausen
Photo: IDGS
On June 22nd, the fourth international guest lecture of this summer semester took place at the IDGS. Juhana Salonen was our guest. He is the author of the book „I Sign, Therefore I Am“, which the lecture was based on. The lecture was delivered via Zoom and interpreted into DGS and German from both International Sign and Finnish Sign Language (SVK).
In his autobiography, Salonen shares growing up deaf with hearing parents and his experiences with deaf culture; his narratives are complemented by comments from his mother.
As a deaf child of hearing parents who had no contact with other deaf people until he started school, Salonen experienced a severe identity crisis in his youth. He felt shame towards his deafness and tried to build his identity within the hearing community, as he had also learned Finnish spoken language. He was not sure what he was - hearing or deaf. It took years of searching before he grew into his identity as a deaf person and was able to adopt Finnish sign language as his mother tongue. Today, he is a proud member of a linguistic and cultural minority, and through his book he aims to provide positive insights into the Deaf world, with the goal of breaking down stigmas.
Following the lecture, a vivid exchange took place. Some of the paticipants shared similar experiences as Salonen. They also exchanged views with him on the importance of expanding awareness and education as well as support for deafness and sign language in the sectores of health, education, and family.