Listening with the Eyes: Narratives of Deaf Childhoods in School and Buen Vivir

Abstract

This article presents the life stories of five Deaf childhoods attending a bilingual-bicultural school in Neiva, Colombia. Conducted as part of a doctoral internship, the study employs a qualitative, narrative, and biographical approach. Drawing on childhood geographies, the philosophy of otherness, critical Deaf studies, and the pedagogy of Buen Vivir, the research explores how these children experience and shape school and community spaces through what is described as their “visual voice.” To access embodied and affective dimensions, the study uses a range of narrative-visual methods, including games, drawings, and walks. The findings highlight the agency of deaf children in reinterpreting spaces, relationships, and practices of care. They also underscore the importance of understanding deafness as a linguistic and cultural difference. The article proposes “listening with the eyes” as a pedagogical ethic that acknowledges diverse forms of communication, fosters patience and mutual respect, and reimagines inclusion as a daily practice grounded in hope.