Deaf History, Community and Heritage: A Participatory Research Perspective

This chapter discusses the authors’ recent community engagement project, "Deaf History, Community and Heritage," which focuses on exploring archival repositories on deafness, recording signed history interviews with deaf individuals and depositing them in the London Archive (previously the London Metropolitan Archive or LMA). It serves as a case study for participatory research in a heritage context. And was formed in conversation with the London Archive’s existing collections relating to deafness. Although the London Archive holds substantial records, such as those from the Royal Association of the Deaf and the British Deaf and Dumb Association, the lived experiences of deaf people, particularly sign language users, are underrepresented here as they are in most archives. Through collaboration with the British Deaf History Society, Black Deaf UK, and an advisory group of deaf community members, the authors have worked with the London Archive to explore ideas around deaf history, heritage, and community.