Deafness and social inclusion: what do children's games have to tell us on this debate?

Abstract

Theoretically based on the formulations of the historical-cultural trend and the conceptual contributions of M. Bakhtin, the present paper analyzes issues related to the play activities of deaf children in the initial phase of sign language acquisition. Attention is especially paid to the way characters (role-play) are configured, highlighting how the elements of the hearing universe are incorporated to the games. The examination of videotaped material (scenes of playing pretend) then led us to reflect critically on the conceptions of social inclusion linked to the experience of the deaf, stressing the fact that, in their games, the children already demonstrates their desire and need to belong to the majority hearing society.

Deafness; Playing; Education of the deaf; Deaf child; Social inclusion