Take the example of Christine Sun Kim, a renowned Deaf artist of East Asian descent, offers a powerful lens through which we can examine the intersection of disability, ethnicity, and cultural identity. Her work, which spans sound art, performance, and visual storytelling, often critiques societal norms surrounding accessibility and representation. In exploring her identity, Kim foregrounds how the intersections of being Deaf and Asian influence her lived experiences, challenging dominant narratives in both the art world and broader society.

In interviews, Kim highlights recurring themes of marginalization within the Deaf community as a woman of colour and in predominantly white art spaces where Deaf artists are underrepresented.  This intersectionality of the race and disability shows that disability, such as deafness, is not the only barrier for people (Thomas, 2022), Kim’s Asian ethnicity race also increases the difficulties for Kim as an artist. Her reflections illuminate how these layered identities shape her approach to art, particularly her focus on sound, a sensory medium often inaccessible to her. Through her work, Kim reclaims sound as a concept—transforming it into a visual and tactile experience—challenging audiences to rethink how we define and experience sensory inputs.

Themes of empowerment and systemic barriers often arise in such discussions. Interviewees like Kim emphasize how social and cultural norms intersect challenges for those navigating multiple marginalized identities. Yet, differing perspectives reveal nuances: some frame these challenges as opportunities for creative innovation, while others highlight persistent inequities in recognition and access to resources.

In my teaching practice, I also had a female student who are deaf and from non-white ethnicity, which means, as teacher I need to know better my positionality as non-white non-disable male and remove my positional bias as much as I can. I may meet similar racial discrimination as the students do, but my solutions and strategies probably very different from the female student as I need to understand her positionality as a female and deaf. Therefore, I need to make changes to my own mind. This includes designing materials accessible to diverse learners, such as captioned videos, accessible text formats, and flexible assessment methods. I also encourage the whole class to challenge traditional narratives and explore how their identities are influenced political contexts when talking about cultural policy. 

Thomas, C. (2022) Overcoming Identity Threat: Using Persona Pedagogy in Intersectionality and Inclusion Training. Social Sciences 11 (249)