Deaf people's first childhood memories of residential schools in post-war Finland

Authors

• Outi Ahonen Humanistinen ammattikorkeakoulu

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33350/ka.142613

Keywords:

deaf, residential school, oral history, state school, sign language, childhood memory

Abstract

The article explores the earliest school memories pupils of residential schools for the deaf in the 1950s and 1960s have from both a communal and individual perspective. Signed deaf memories were collected during 2022-2023 from all over Finland. Our oral history research is based on interviews with 70 deaf people of different ages in Finnish and Finland-Swedish Sign Language. The memories were analysed using categorical content analysis. Based on the gathered memories, it can be concluded that sign language plays an important role in the childhood memories and residential experiences of deaf people. Our research shows that learning spoken language was considered important in the education of the deaf, and the importance of sign language was given less attention. This article examines the memories of both those born deaf and those who became deaf later on in childhood. The ones born deaf have a more difficult starting point for learning and going to school in an environment that prohibits sign language. The article invites us to discuss what kind of traumatic memories and experiences deaf people of different ages still have today.