Fostering Identity through Stories of Culture and Social Justice: Empowering Deaf Students to Embrace their Identities Fully and Authentically.

Storytelling, as seen in educational settings, is often limited to character and plot development within the constraints of a storybook. However, the depth and power that lies within the expressive nature of storytelling far exceeds the pages of any book. Our personal stories are a collection of each lived experience, value, tradition, and cultural knowledge that weaves our individual stories. From early adolescence into adulthood, individuals bring with them cultural capital that becomes the foundational blueprint for their identity. My curriculum, “Fostering Identity through Stories of Culture and Social Justice,” creates opportunities for D/HH students to embrace the complexities of their individual identities and culture, while also addressing common themes of oppression, bias, and institutional power that exists within the intersections of these identities. Organized into two units, (Identity and Culture) and (Social Movements for Social Justice), this curriculum fosters the development of identity through the lens of social justice and empowerment through storytelling. Through collaboration and dialogue on a variety of topics related to identity, culture, and social justice, students will explain how their individual cultures, beliefs, and experiences influence their identity over time. Student data gathered over 6-weeks, including pre/post evaluations on conceptual knowledge, self-evaluation, self-reflection rubrics on project-based learning, and collections of student samples on inferring meaning of Deaf social issues through analysis of art, demonstrated successful integration and enrichment to D/HH students’ self-awareness and understanding of their identity complexities