Deafhood and Genetics
The Website was started in 2010 as part of the research project Deafhood and Genetics. All the information and outcomes can be found within this website. All information on the findings and all the news items are in BSL.
In 2018, rapid developments in genetic technology mean the bioethical questions these developments raise for deaf people remain relevant today as they were then. In fact, they impact not only on deaf people but humanity.
We foresaw not only the speed at which the technology was advancing but that it brought with it the possibility of potentially eliminating, if not radically reducing, the number of deaf people from society.
With populist right-wing and far-right radical political organizations gaining power across the world, it raises the huge risk of what policies and practices they will enact with all the new technologies such as CRISP at their disposal.
The fears, therefore, remain real. What this site aims to do is keep people updated with all the latest developments as they affect deaf and disabled people, encourage people to attend events to raise concerns and ask what is being done to protect deaf people from genocide, and to encourage the mobilization of deaf people and their allies into active political groups.
These groups can not only ensure deaf people are consulted, but that to ensure consultations lead to meaningful action or proposals, rather than become yet another act of tokenism while genetic scientists continue to use technology to try to eradicate deafness, and deaf people, from planet earth.
We started this project with the intention to ensure that this will never be allowed to happen.