The sign for "Deafhood" is a combination of the ASL sign DEAF and
the sign GUTS.
(If you don't like the idea of calling that second part of the sign
"guts" you can think of it as being "that which is at my core."
So, you can think of this sign as meaning "Deaf at the core."
Or think of it as meaning "Deaf inside at a fundamental level."
The sign DEAF touches the index finger to the cheek near the ear.
Then the finger lifts off of the cheek a bit and moves in a small
arc and touches the cheek again near the mouth.
Then you sign "guts" by forming your hand into a "bent" handshape
and poking the side of your abdomen once or twice. (Since this is a
compound sign you should just touch the "guts" part of the sign
once.)
DEAFHOOD:
Note: Some people just sign DEAF and then spell hood. Some people
sign DEAF and then sign PRO-3-POSS+. (That is a fancy way of
saying do the third person possessive pronoun and then do it an
additional time. Or I could have typed "HIS-HIS" -- but that
is awkward when you are striving to be gender neutral in your
writing eh?)
Animated gif: DEAFHOOD:
Notes:
"Deafhood" generally refers to a Deaf person's individual life
journey.
Also see:
DEAFNESS
You can learn
American Sign Language (ASL) online at American Sign Language University ™
ASL resources by Lifeprint.com © Dr. William Vicars