Articles

What Mexican Deaf Culture and Epistemologies Bring to Critical Spanish Language Education in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands

---

Abstract

In this article, we elaborate on our journey as researchers and educators developing cultural humility (Tervalon & Murray-García, 1998). Moreover, we describe a pedagogical approach to developing critical literacy among hearing and Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) students in higher education enrolled in the School of Architecture and Design (SAD) at a Mexican university. We argue for a Critical Sociocultural Linguistic Literacy (CriSoLL) approach. CriSoLL-based pedagogies have the potential to support students in critically evaluating their own sociolinguistic practices and developing other languages and styles beyond notions of “correctness” and normative cultural hegemony in academic settings that still follow and perpetuate ideologies of “deficiency.” Through CriSoLL, as a team of researchers and educators, we have started developing materials to develop critical literacy. In this piece, we also share these Open Educational Resources as thematic units that offer opportunities for shifts in attitudes and beliefs about how people’s ways of communication are perceived and the social meanings associated with how they look and/or sound. We believe this approach supports creating a more inclusive campus climate that better understands and serves all students.

Keywords: Deaf and Hard of Hearing, critical literacy, critical pedagogies, language education, U.S.-Mexico border

How to Cite:

Holguín Mendoza, C., Castro Caballero, M., Venegas, M., Mendoza Casanova, C. & Reinaga Gonzales, S., (2025) “What Mexican Deaf Culture and Epistemologies Bring to Critical Spanish Language Education in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands”, Critical Multilingualism Studies 12(1), 111-137. doi: https://doi.org/10.2458/cms.6458