Access to justice for deaf Inuit in Nunavut: The role of "Inuit sign language."

Abstract

This paper presents a personal perspective on the issue of access to justice (in the context of die Canadian Charter of Rights mad Freedoms) for die deaf Inuit population of Canada's uewest Territory -Nunavut. My experience in assessing a deaf Inuk in Baker Lake R v. Suwarak (1999) who apparently had no known language, followed ml earlier Nova Scotia case R v. Roy (1994) which involved a deaf nlan who could not hear, speak or use sign language. In both Roy and Suwarak aud I concluded that a trial could not proceed, but in the case of Suwarak, die possibility was raised that an indigenous form of sign language, wtfich I tentatively termed "hnfit Sign Langamge" was being used. The results of a preliminary study of the status of signed languages in Ntmavm based on field visits and interactions with deal" people and their families in three communities, Iqahfit, Pangalirtung, and Rankin hflet is described. The possibility that "hntit Sign Language" exists is discussed within the fi'amework of various theories of lmiguage development mid also within the context of earlier literature which indicates that mm W Aboriginal communities had (and possibly still have) flourishing sigaaed languages. Finally, the need for increased research by psychologists on the complex lingafistic environment of deaf persons in Nunavut is emphasized. BACKGROUND ON DEAFNESSIn three previous articles that have appeared in Canad/an Psychology (MacDougaU, 1971(MacDougaU, , 1979(MacDougaU, , 1991, I reviewed current developments in the field of deafness from a psychological perspective. I noted that while sign lan-Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 42:1 BACK ON THE TUNDRA We were now wondering if our natuualistic approach had

Sign Languages in Village Communities

“…Historically, the Inuit were hunter-gatherers, and led a nomadic life (Wachowich 1999). For this reason, MacDougall (2000) suggests that the origins of IUR could be similar to those described for Aboriginal people in North and South America and Australia, whose sign languages developed as alternate communication systems used during hunts, and/or as lingua francas in cases where the people spoke mutually unintelligible languages or dialects (see MacDougall 2000). Indeed, signs were used in Inuit culture as early as the 18th century to communicate among different bands (Olsthoorn 2010).…”

Dialogue with the deaf: The future role of psychology.

“…I cannot count the number of times since then that I have given mini workshops on the realities of being deaf to psychologists and other mental health professionals in hospital or correctional facilities (J. MacDougall, 2000; J. C. MacDougall, 2001).…”

“…Fortunately, Canadian psychologists have already shown great leadership in the area of incorporating Indigenous knowledge into the mainstream of psychology (Adair, 2006; Ansloos et al, 2019; Kim et al, 2006). What remains in this context are the issues raised by the intersectionality of being deaf and being Indigenous (Davis et al, 2015; J. C. MacDougall, 2001; Schuit, 2012).…”

“…Little did I know at that time how often this, or related acts of liberation would be repeated in the future. I cannot count the number of times since then that I have given mini workshops on the realities of being deaf to psychologists and other mental health professionals in hospital or correctional facilities (J. MacDougall, 2000; J.…”

Enhancing Deaf People’s Access to Justice in Northern Ireland: Implementing Article 13 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

“…Further still, there is a dearth of research that actively involves Deaf people in its development, fieldwork, and analysis, and that examines how Deaf people are involved in the implementation and monitoring of the UNCRPD. This is despite empirical evidence from the Deaf community highlighting lack of access to justice as an issue across the world (Kermit, Mjøen & Olsen 2011;Macdougall 2001;Miller 2001;Napier et al 2016;Olsen & Kermit 2015;Young, Monteiro & Ridgeway 2000). The importance of involving Deaf people in research is not simply a matter of 'best practice' or an á la carte option for so-called innovative research practices.…”