20. Conclusions and Recommendations

In the last century, much has changed in the lives of Deaf people. Today's young Deaf people, as well as their educators and other professionals working with Deaf people, let alone the general public, are often not aware of these changes.

The number of elderly people who do remember is diminishing rapidly. Schools for the Deaf and Deaf clubs are closing or have already closed, and their records, books, photographs, videos, and artifacts are often thrown out. Too many stories of the people who lived through these times and changes were not recorded. Deaf Museums have literally had to become dumpster divers: they save and preserve what others are throwing out.

But in all of Europe, there are too few Deaf Museums that tell the story of the Deaf community, Deaf education, Deaf people, their culture, and their language.

For Deaf museums, time is of the essence. Since the start of the Deaf Museums project late 2020, two Deaf museums have had to close down. Several other Deaf museums fear for the future because they depend on (often elderly) volunteers, possibly temporary locations, and short-term incidental funding, or no funding at all.

From our Survey of Deaf Museums:

" We live from hand to mouth and could collapse any time. "

" If the school for the deaf wants to close, we will have a problem with the rooms we use now. "

"Future risks are the location of the Museum since we don’t own the building."

" As the museum relies on volunteers, the risk is what the volunteers can do. If there are no more volunteers, a solution will have to be found." 

1.  Collect, protect, preserve, share NOW!

Before it is too late, the Deaf heritage should be actively collected, preserved, stored, archived and shared.

The examples in this book show that it can be just one person who takes the first step. But more than a first step is needed; we need a movement, a crowd. Many people should become involved, people of all ages.

To guarantee results and continuity, the European Union of the Deaf (EUD) would be a good choice to take the lead EU-wide. The National Associations of the Deaf in turn could do this in each of their respective countries. 

How? By applying for funding, finding people, collaborating nationally and cross-nationally, and possibly by collaborating with mainstream Museums and Museum professionals, as will be discussed below.

If the Deaf heritage is not preserved and shared, we rob Deaf elderly people of their past. We rob Deaf young people of their identity as members of the Deaf community, of the opportunity to find their roots and to ground themselves as proud members of a global community.

Start collecting now, then start sharing and displaying. Maybe start small, with a "Museum in a box" that can be used in schools, libraries, and Deaf associations, or with a travelling exhibition that can be used again by schools, libraries, and maybe even mainstream Museums. Use the interest that these small exhibitions  raise, to apply for funding for something more substantial.

What steps can be taken? Instead of writing new recommendations, we'd like to recycle the recommendations made by John Haye in his 2007 report (see below). Years have passed since he wrote his recommendations, but little has changed, unfortunately. John Hay wrote his recommendations for the UK, but they can be used across Europe, even worldwide.

2. Collaborate with mainstream Museums and Museum professionals.

Collaboration with mainstream Museums and Museum professionals is possible and can be worthwhile. It is often not easy, because of prejudice on both sides of the gap. Hearing professionals may view Deaf people as individuals with a disability that they must "help," which is not the case. Deaf people are members of a proud and strong minority group with their own language, culture, and history.

Deaf people in turn may be hesitant to involve mainstream professionals out of fear of being patronized, overruled, overpowered. Of being exploited and of having their history and ownership "stolen" by mainstream hearing professionals.

To close the gap, both sides must respect and trust each other. Successful collaboration can be to the advantage of both parties, as some of the examples in this report show.

Deaf professionals can learn about professional exhibition design, marketing and financial sustainability. Hearing professionals can learn to see their exhibitions, museums, assumptions and their "normal" way of working, from a new, visual perspective. They can learn a new language, a sign language, that they can use to plan new exhibitions and to attract new audiences. It will take time and effort to find capable and willing partners, but once found, you can plan and build a (temporary) exhibition together and make it a learning experience for all, including your visitors.

“Stories of disability are largely absent from museum displays. Where they appear, they often reflect deeply entrenched, negative attitudes towards physical and mental difference. Research reveals that museums don’t simply reflect attitudes; they are active in shaping conversations about difference.
Projects created with disabled people show that museums hold enormous potential to shape more progressive, accurate and respectful ways of understanding human diversity. Why
wouldn’t we take up this opportunity?”

Richard Sandell of the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries, University of Leicester, https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/opinion/2020/03/04032020-vox-pop/

3. (Re)consider your story and target group

To attract more and more diverse visitors, Deaf Museums may have to reconsider the story or stories that they tell. They may have to adapt their exhibitions and displays to match a larger target audience, whether these are foreign visitors, young people, or the general public.

On the one hand, examples such as the "Hands On" immersive exhibition (see https://www.deafmuseums.eu/index.php/en/deaf-museums/deaf-exhibitions ) demonstrate that the general public is interested in learning about sign language and what it is like to be deaf.

On the other hand, a Deaf Museum may want to tell a story that is primarily intended for Deaf people and researchers. They can decide to focus on the history of a School for the Deaf or a local or regional Deaf Association. This, however, will result in a smaller number of visitors, less income, and funding that will have to come mostly from within the Deaf community.

Alternatively, a museum may opt for a mix of these stories, as the Norwegian Deaf Museum is considering.

Our main conclusion, once more, is this: time is of the essence. We can't wait any longer.  Without a shared history, Deaf people do not only lose their past; they risk losing their community and culture as well.

We have to act now! As the examples of the partners in the Deaf Museums project show:  creating an exhibition is a worthwhile and rewarding activity.
Please use the information in this report and the information on the project's website, www.deafmuseums.eu, for inspiration. Please keep us informed, so that we can share your efforts and results with a larger community. 

 John Hay's recommendations, made in his report, published in 2007: