Exposing the Borders of Academia: Sign Language as a Medium of Knowledge Production, Preservation, and Dissemination

FAIN: HAA-258756-18

Gallaudet University (Washington, DC 20002-3600)
Patrick Boudreault (Project Director: June 2017 to March 2024)

Improvements to the technological infrastructure of the Deaf Studies Digital Journal (DSDJ) to implement a fully bilingual digital platform for use by both signers and non-signers. The project also increases access to and sustainability of DSDJ content and supports refinements to the peer review process in American Sign Language.

The Deaf Studies Digital Journal (DSDJ) is a peer-reviewed, digital journal in American Sign Language and English text dedicated to advancing the cultural, creative and critical output of work in and about sign languages and its communities. DSDJ publishes work in the form of scholarly video articles, original works of signed literature, as well as interviews, reviews, and historical resources. This project will preserve and migrate past issues of DSDJ to a new open-access, technologically sustainable platform that adheres to and advances accessibility standards in publishing through fully bilingual video and text articles, advanced interactive videos, and integration into library databases. Furthermore, the project develops innovative peer-review processes that support the exclusive use of sign language to produce the next iteration of DSDJ in an effort to transform scholarly communication.

Associated Products

Dr. Patrick Boudreault wins award for steering Deaf Studies Digital Journal (Blog Post)
Title: Dr. Patrick Boudreault wins award for steering Deaf Studies Digital Journal
Author: Victoria Hallett
Abstract: Deaf Studies Digital Journal (DSDJ) Executive Editor Dr. Patrick Boudreault has just received the Edward Allen Fay Award from the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf. The award, which recognizes publications that contribute to the field of deaf education, emphasizes how vital it is for Deaf researchers to be able to communicate their scholarly work. “This validates what we are doing, which is multimodal publishing through Deaf lenses,” Boudreault says. “We cover themes about deaf people’s lives, art, research, just a variety of things. What makes the journal interesting is that it’s broad.” DSDJ was developed out of conversations that started about 20 years ago among the Deaf Studies faculty at Gallaudet. The first four issues, published between 2009 and 2014, proved it was possible to design a platform ideally suited to this groundbreaking kind of publication. The format featured innovative ways of navigating between videos, incorporating citations, and pausing for visual media aids, such as diagrams. But by the time Boudreault arrived at the helm in 2017, the Adobe Flash technology that DSDJ relied on had grown outdated. Adobe announced support for Adobe Flash would end on December 31, 2020. “After that, the journal would be unable to display Flash-based videos,” explains Boudreault, who applied for a National Endowment of the Humanities grant to help rebuild DSDJ. Working with Michigan Publishing, Boudreault was able to preserve the old issues, create a new platform that met the current standards and ensure its sustainability and portability with the Michigan Publishing repository, and once again invite contributors to share their perspectives. The fifth issue covered the 2018 Deaf Studies Conference on Transformations, the sixth issue focused on Language Deprivation, and the seventh issue — set to be released shortly — will share findings from the Black Deaf Studies Symposium, held on the Gallaudet campus last year.
Date: 3/20/2024
Primary URL: https://gallaudet.edu/deaf-studies/dr-patrick-boudreault-wins-award-for-steering-deaf-studies-digital-journal/
Website: Gallaudet.edu

Deaf Studies Conference Transformations Proceedings (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Deaf Studies Conference Transformations Proceedings
Author: Patrick Boudreault
Abstract: Proceedings of this Deaf Studies Conference with the theme “Transformations” explore over 20 years worth of Deaf Studies and how the field has evolved. Educators, researchers, and community advocates from 28 countries and 33 states throughout the United States held discussions about theories, gave presentations about applications of theories, and focused on dissemination.
Year: 2020
Primary URL: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dsdj/15499139.0005.0*?rgn=full+text
Access Model: Open Access

Sensory Experience (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Sensory Experience
Author: Patrick Boudreault
Author: Benjamin Bahan
Author: Dirksen Buman
Abstract: This issue explores sensory experiences through a multifaceted lens, emphasizing the richness of visual learning, language perception, and the unique contributions of the deaf community. It integrates scientific research, commentary, and literature to examine how sensory modalities influence cognition, communication, and culture. Key topics include the cognitive benefits of sign language, the role of the mirror neuron system in language, controversies in deaf education, and the representation of sounds in sign language. Additionally, it celebrates artistic expression within the deaf community and revisits historical debates, offering a comprehensive view of sensory experience's depth and diversity.
Year: 2010
Primary URL: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dsdj/15499139.0002.0*?rgn=full+text
Access Model: Open Access

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