What is De’VIA:

Deaf View/Image Art, also known as De’VIA, is art that examines and expresses the Deaf experience from a cultural, linguistic, and intersectional point of view. Deaf and Deaf-Blind people created works that reflected Deaf experiences long before the term Deaf View/Image Art was coined in 1989.  After De’VIA was recognized as a genre of art,  scholars began to identify De’VIA themes, symbols and motifs.

De’VIA works can be recognized by the way they show Deaf and DeafBlind point of views via themes and motifs that represent life amongst Deaf and DeafBlind people. Just as works about other disenfranchised groups (African-American, Native Americans, LGBTQ, etc)  challenge oppression and celebrate their culture, so too do Deaf, DeafBlind, Deaf disabled, Deaf BIPOC, Deaf LGBTQIA, Deaf folks from different religious groups, and more.

See the drop down menu under De’VIA history for more info.