Stories of Disconnectedness and Belonging - Exploring Deaf People’s Experiences in Mongolia

Abstract: Millions of deaf people around the world live without the possibility of going to school or learning a language and experience a prolonged disconnection from their social environments. The purpose of this study was to explore deaf people’s experiences in Mongolia of a transition from social and psychological isolation towards a process of inclusion. The research was carried out by using mainly narrative- and visual methods, and centres on the experiences of four deaf people who grew up living disconnected without a well-functioning language and who later came to learn sign language. The research is focused on how the informants subjectively perceive the impact that learning sign language had in their lives and what needs have been satisfied through it. The results indicate the importance that communication has had in their lives as a medium to multi-dimensional forms of belonging and social inclusion. When given the possibility to learn sign language and to become part of a community, many of the informants’ fundamental human needs were met and their rights were enhanced. Their process provides an example of how personal development is connected to societal and structural development.