Research Summary
Deaf aesthetics focuses on designing learning materials and environments that are tailored to the needs and preferences of deaf individuals. It emphasizes visual communication and is intended to enhance curricular experiences and learning outcomes. As Canada Research Chair in Deaf Education, Dr. Joanne Weber is continuing her quest to understand the effects of deaf aesthetics on deaf learners.
She and her research team are investigating the application of deaf aesthetics to arts-based education for diverse deaf learners. They are also refining a deaf aesthetics online training resource for tertiary education and creating a deaf aesthetics arts-based resource guide to support K-12 inclusive education. Weber’s team is also developing recommendations for future research on deaf aesthetics teaching approaches for both deaf and nondeaf students. Their research will strengthen deaf education and, in turn, improve deaf students’ lives.