“Ask Us, and Not the Interpreter”: A Critical Pedagogy Inquiry on Deaf-Led Empowerment in Sign Filipino Language Teaching

Abstract

This autoethnographic reflection explores the author’s journey of learning Filipino Sign Language from her Deaf students and how Deaf-led actions led to conscientization and empowerment. Inquiry through critical pedagogy revealed shared self-doubts about abilities and a fear of challenging dominant negative narratives about Deaf people. The article illustrates how Deaf inclusion is fundamentally an inclusion of human rights in education, making it Deaf-centered. It also highlights the importance of creating a safe space for healing from the impact of linguistic and cultural oppression, which becomes an empowering process. This study recommends concrete actions to sustain linguistic and cultural justice for Deaf learners in education.