Inclusive Narratives: Italian Sign Language as a Language in Children’s Literature and Media

Abstract

This contribution presents a critical reflection on the representations of hearing disability in contemporary children’s literature, with a particular focus on Italian texts and audiovisual products. Through the analysis of a selection of significant works, it explores the narrative and visual mechanisms through which experiences of deafness are conveyed, wondering how these narratives influence the perception of the Deaf community. The review examines both texts and children’s media, highlighting their educational potential as well as the risks of reproducing stereotypes and simplified views of deafness (Biklen e Bogdan, 1977). Given the concept of narrative education (Nussbaum, 1999; 2007), the importance of recognising deafness as a cultural dimension is highlighted, overcoming the purely deficit view. The analysis of the techniques employed in the collected works reveals the ongoing limits and challenges in the representation of deafness, in particular the integration of Sign Language and the acknowledgment of Deaf culture as an autonomous reality. Following the constructivist perspective (Bruner, 1990), the study highlights the role of inclusive narratives in shaping collective imagination.
In conclusion, the research reaffirms the need to promote narratives that celebrate deafness as a linguistic and cultural resource, fostering visibility, recognition and inclusion.