Banca de DEFESA: PATRICIA DOS SANTOS DIAS

“GEOGRAPHY OF SILENCE”: TOPOPHILIES AND TOPOPHOBIES OF DEAF PEOPLE - NATAL/RN

Deaf Geographies; Deaf Community; Topophilia; Topophobia; City.

When observing the spectrum of geographic studies that cover the analysis of the
Brazilian city, it is evident the absence of studies on the spaces of minorities, including
the Deaf. In recent years, Deaf users of the Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) have been
organized and strengthened socially through accessibility and inclusion policies present
in local, national and international debates. They are mobilized for their rights and have
claimed their right to live in the city, through face-to-face and virtual demonstrations.
Different from the past, in which deafblindness was seen as a disabling disability,
increasingly there has been a change in perspective, which focuses on the barriers that
prevent or hinder the life of these individuals in the city. In this thesis, the understanding
of disability is shifted from the individual to the city, which is seen as a deficient space
to meet the needs of Deaf people in its multiple dimensions. It was sought to understand
how these subjects experience the urban spaces in Natal/RN, the characteristics of the
spaces with signaling in Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) and the places most
frequented or not by them, in order to discuss the city disabilities and the feelings of the
Deaf in relation to these places, relationally. For this, the thesis was based on the theory
of Topophilia and Topophobia by Yi-Fu Tuan (1980-2012), anchored in the everyday
experiences of Deaf subjects, their connections, disconnections, refusals and
expansions. We observed the movements from inside to outside and outside to inside,
experienced by the Deaf in the urban environment, configuring a Geography nuanced in
places created and recreated in the ambivalent game of selection, tension, hegemony,
heterogeneity, mobility, circulation, communication and spatial technification. The
thesis was structured from observations, in-depth interviews, Lives, field research and
other secondary sources that dialogued with the theoretical referential constructed
during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Deaf people's experience narratives revealed
dissatisfaction regarding different public and private spaces, revealing the existential
complexity experienced by Deaf people in the city of Natal, challenging limited
conceptions and expanding the geographical understanding. The research points out the
strategies that Deaf people develop to face the difficulties, from the choice of more
accessible spaces from the linguistic and cultural point of view. In conclusion, the
results of the research highlight the importance of communication accessibility as an
essential factor to ensure the full participation and integration of deaf people in society,
as well as highlight the importance of implementing other coordinated actions and
effective policies to overcome the barriers faced by deaf people in Natal. For this, it is
essential that there is active participation of the Deaf Community, to ensure that their
voices are heard and their needs are properly met. By implementing the suggestions
proposed at the end of the research, a path is paved to build an accessible city from the
point of view of communication, where all individuals, regardless of their hearing
abilities, can fully enjoy the spaces and services offered in the city.