Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne, 42(1), 61–73

Access to justice for deaf Inuit in Nunavut: The role of "Inuit sign language."

MacDougall, J. C. (2001)

Presents a personal perspective on the issue of access to justice (in the context of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms) for the deaf Inuit population of Canada's newest Territory—Nunavut. The author's experience in assessing a deaf Inuit in Baker Lake R v. Suwarak (1999) who apparently had no known language, followed an earlier Nova Scotia case R v. Roy (1994) which involved a deaf man who could not hear, speak or use sign language. In the case of Suwarak, the possibility was raised that an indigenous form of sign language, tentatively termed "Inuit Sign Language" was being used. The results of a preliminary study of the status of signed languages in Nunavut based on field visits and interactions with deaf people and their families in 3 communities is described. The possibility that "Inuit Sign Language" exists is discussed within the framework of various theories of language development and also within the context of earlier literature which indicates that many Aboriginal communities had (and possibly still have) flourishing signed languages. Finally, the need for increased research by psychologists on the complex linguistic environment of deaf persons in Nunavut is emphasized. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

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