The sound of silence: deconstructing notions of inclusion in career guidance on exploring the experience of deaf people

Abstract

ABSTRACT Learning that “career” was not a definite sign in Irish Sign Language (ISL) and that “Career Guidance” was poorly understood by the Deaf community prompted a systematic literature review (SLR). An uncomfortable truth relating to Career Guidance emerged – “Inclusion” is not where we presume it to be at. This paper presents the results of the SLR and shares how the answers from a thematic analysis can – through a Universal Design (UD), and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (Rose & Meyer, 2002) lens – guide developments for inclusive Career Guidance. This paper shares the story of “d/Deaf guidance” in the literature; the tensions between theory and practice in relation to inclusion (Quirke, 2022), and the themes identified from the SLR – themes the Deaf community believe are a Deaf gain.