CEAD Offered De’VIA Workshop for Deaf Teachers and Researchers—Here’s why it matters
July 19, 2024
CEAD offered a basic introductory course entitled, “Isip at Kamay: Learning About the Filipino Deaf Experience Through De’VIA,” for Deaf teachers and trainees, who are partners of the Model Learning Institute on Deaf Centered Education (MLITEDCE). This course is part of the Deaf Centered Bilingual Education (DCBE) faculty development series, which aims to sustain the outcomes of Sign Bilingual Education strategies in advancing Deaf students’ learning. It was built on the success of the previous enhancement workshop held in April 2024 for winners of the De’VIA and FSL storytelling workshop.
CEAD found it valuable to extend the workshop to include more Deaf experts and teacher allies. In consideration to the lack of platforms supporting development training for Deaf teachers, CEAD initially made the workshop accessible through face-to-face sessions, and intended to be offered as online diploma courses in the future. CEAD continuously initiates courses such as the De’VIA workshop to uplift Deaf teachers from the obstacles that hinder them from enhancing their competencies in bilingual teaching strategies and innovating FSL learning materials.
Deaf teachers and trainees who participated in the “Isip at Kamay: Learning About the Filipino Deaf Experience Through De’VIA,” were introduced to the process of exploring their own Deaf life stories. During the five-day course, they were enlightened on how to express their struggles and triumphs into visual artforms. Integrating colors, shapes, and textures symbolically to represent their experience of resistance and affirmation as Deaf persons. The artworks produced by the Deaf teachers and trainees were used to create FSL stories including Sign Poetry in numbers and handshapes. Through these activities, CEAD aims to equip participants with the skills to create curriculum-based, Deaf-centered learning materials. In turn, these materials will serve as supplementary tools to support the development of more Deaf-centered teaching approaches.
Over the last decade, CEAD has been actively working to enhance the learning experience and increase opportunities for Deaf individuals, utilizing research findings as the basis for developing short courses and other innovations in Deaf-centered education. CEAD incorporated De’VIA as part of the Teacher Education Initiatives (TEI) to help Deaf teachers translate their learning into personal and prolific expressions through critical and creative outputs.
Here are three questions about De’VIA and why it matters to the Deaf community:
What is De’VIA?
De’VIA, a portmanteau of Deaf View/Image Art, represents the authentic artistic expression of the cultural background and personal experiences of Deaf individuals. Its formal elements, characteristics, and name was solidified by a group of nine Deaf visual artists led by Betty G. Miller in May 1989 during the workshop “Expression: American Deaf Art.” The use of contrasting and intense colors, as well as differing textures, are officially recognized as defining elements of De’VIA. Artworks in this genre often feature a centralized focus, with exaggerated emphasis on facial features such as eyes, mouths, ears, and hands (De’VIA Manifesto, 1989).
There are two dominant themes of De’VIA: resistance and affirmation (Durr, P. 1999). Resistance De’VIA depicts the battles and injustices faced by Deaf individuals due to societal prejudice and discrimination. Artworks within this theme illustrate the fight against audism and the advocacy of Deaf rights and recognition. While Affirmation De’VIA demonstrates empowerment and the positive aspects of being Deaf. Art pieces embodying this concept highlights the triumph and liberation of Deaf culture.
Why does CEAD organize De’VIA Workshop?
CEAD holds the idea that Deaf-centered education should include Deaf-centered learning materials that reflect the lives, culture, and experiences of Deaf individuals, particularly those who grew up in environments where issues of inclusion and exclusion regarding Deaf people are prevalent. De’VIA, with its emphasis on Deaf experiences and perspectives, closely aligns with CEAD’s commitment to fostering a Deaf-centered educational environment that respects and celebrates the unique identities of Filipino Deaf learners.
Through De’VIA workshop CEAD aims to enhance the expertise of Deaf teachers and researchers in developing Deaf-centered learning materials that is inclusive to the experiences, language, and culture of Deaf people. This course guides the participants how to process their life challenges, and explore their cultural heritage and identity, which they can then communicate through their artworks.
What to expect after the De’VIA Workshop?
After the workshop, participants are expected to deepen their appreciation and understanding of the history and rationale behind De’VIA and Deaf literature, emphasizing their significance in protecting human rights, cultural and linguistic identity, and promoting the academic success and well-being of Deaf learners. Additionally, Deaf teachers and researchers who engage in the course should acquire specific skills in creating De’VIA and Deaf literature that documents the experiences of Deaf individuals and the Deaf Filipino community. They are anticipated to be capable of demonstrating practical applications of De’VIA and Deaf literature in both academic and non-academic contexts.
Participants are expected to formulate action plans detailing how De’VIA and Deaf literature can advance Benilde Deaf School as a model institution for Deaf-centered Bilingual Education. Substantively, this workshop aims to accomplish the goal of the MLITEDCE by creating a blueprint of Deaf Centered Education Support System that includes Filipino Sign Language and Deaf heritage educational materials that will improve the academic performance of Deaf students.
References:
What is De’VIA. (2022, February 22). De’VIA Curriculum. https://deviacurr.wordpress.com/devia-curr/what-is-devia/
Durr, P. (1999), Deconstructing the Forced Assimilation of Deaf People via De’VIA Resistance and Affirmation Art. Visual Anthropology Review, 15: 47-68. doi: 10.1525/var.2000.15.2.47
De’VIA Manifesto & Statement of Philosophy. (2023, December 11). De’VIA Curriculum. https://deviacurr.wordpress.com/devia-curr/devia-history-2/devia-manifesto/