Life stories of the deaf community in Ecuador

This project aims to document and preserve the life stories of deaf people in Quito, making their culture visible and promoting their social inclusion. It includes direct collaboration with local deaf and hearing indigenous communities to document and describe Ecuadorian Sign Language and its dialects, as well as assisting teachers in developing linguistically appropriate instructional methodologies.

The objective of the project is to train community members in linguistic analysis and language teaching methodologies. In Ecuador, where many Indigenous languages exist and there is a large population of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals (approximately between 62,000 and 213,000 people), there is no higher education training available in Ecuadorian Sign Language linguistics. This project aims to fill that gap through collaborative methodologies, respecting the principle that data should remain with the community.

This project requires an external investigator with a unique combination of experience as a teacher trainer, language teacher, linguist, and Sign Language specialist. It will include multiple visits to conduct linguistic experiments in collaboration with community members and develop materials useful for curriculum development. This approach fosters meaningful partnerships and supports the strengthening of local capacities.