The body as a source of authority in non electoral political representation: A study on the presence of signaling deaf people in discussions related to education

Abstract This paper analyzes processes of non-electoral political representation emerging from the debate about the best school model for deaf people. We investigate how sources of authority are triggered by the deaf or disabled, especially those related to physical presence (ascriptive identities) and self-ascription of identities. The units of analysis (claims) were extracted from three sources: a Facebook group of deaf leaders, a public hearing of the Judiciary, and a National Conference on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It concludes that the body is a source of authority as important as speech, sign language reveals an untranslatable dimension exposed by presence, and cultural aspects of sign languages promote ruptures in the conventional dynamics of representation.