Jaipreet Virdi
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jaivirdi.com
Jaipreet Virdi
@jaivirdi.com
17K followers 730 following 290 posts
Award-winning historian #HistSTM & #DisHist. Author of "Hearing Happiness: Deafness Cures in History" (2020) and "Echoes of Care: Deafness in Modern Britain." Associate Professor at University of Victoria. Deaf & forever a radical

Learn more: jaivirdi.com
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jaivirdi.com
My sweet, precious Bennie boy, my little deafie shadow...always in my arms. I miss you.
March 26, 2025 at 1:44 PM
jaivirdi.com
We lost our sweet Ben.
There are no words to express our heartbreak.
March 26, 2025 at 1:41 PM
jaivirdi.com
Lizzie climbed on my lap, forcing me to put my laptop down.

Clearly this means no work is allowed, only cuddles.
Small white dog on Jai's lap
March 8, 2025 at 3:44 PM
jaivirdi.com
From an idea in 2008 to a book in 2025, ECHOES OF CARE: DEAFNESS IN MODERN BRITAIN has been published by @mcgillqueensup.bsky.social ! It explores how changing perceptions of deafness intersected with healthcare, disability, and eugenics in 19th-century Britain.

www.mqup.ca/echoes-of-ca...
A book standing upright on multiple copies, which are laying next to a 1920s Underwood typewriter. The book cover is a faded and blurry background, with a photo of a person’s ear horizontal on the bottom, and text emitting from it to represent sound. The text in large font says “Echoes of Care” followed by “Deafness in Modern Britain” and the author’s name, Jaipreet Virdi.
February 11, 2025 at 2:56 PM
jaivirdi.com
Every morning she brings Lamb from the bedroom, gives me this look, asking for help to carry Lamb to the sofa.
A small white dog carrying in her mouth a stuffie that's about then size of her entire body. A happy small white doggie resting upon her stuffie on the couch.
December 14, 2024 at 2:56 PM
jaivirdi.com
Gonna say it LOUD: it's ableist if you can't provide paper menus at a restaurant.

Fine, have the app and QR code...but you're telling me you can't print a copy of the menu for people who ask for printed one?
A sign on a resturant table instructing patrons to download the mobile app
December 13, 2024 at 12:50 AM
jaivirdi.com
Gladly!

Here she is after several hours (not kidding) of play
A small white dog sleeping on a plush toy.
November 26, 2024 at 12:35 AM
jaivirdi.com
Pure joy after a surprise trip to the pet store
A small white dog lying in a car seat. She has a big smile on her face and is holding on to a large plush toy
November 25, 2024 at 9:16 PM
jaivirdi.com
Current pupdate: he's so sad his head hurts. My poor boy!
A small white dog with one eye lying on the carpet
November 13, 2024 at 12:30 AM
jaivirdi.com
I need to get a helmet for Ben, my one-eyed deaf dog who crashed head first on a lamp, then the curb, while on a walk today. The poor boy has a concussion!
A small white dog with one eye lounging on a camping chair outside.
November 13, 2024 at 12:26 AM
jaivirdi.com
Timeline Joy:

My Lizzie girl on Halloween
A small white dog wearing a hat that's a stuffed wolf head
November 7, 2024 at 10:44 AM
jaivirdi.com
A teaser...

Announcement coming soon!

#aahm2024 #aahm24 #histSTM #DisHist #Academia
A graphic illustration of a person’s facial profile. They are wearing dark glasses, a face mask, and their hair is pulled back in a low bun. There is a neural network helmet on their head. They are placed against a navy background. In front is the text DISABILITY superimposed upon the text HSTM
May 11, 2024 at 5:40 PM
jaivirdi.com
Spotted in the bookstore wild!

@ashleyshoo.bsky.social's book, AGAINST TECHNOABLEISM !

One of the best books I've read. Get your copy here: wwnorton.com/books/978132...
Jai, a South Asian woman wearing glasses and smiling, holds up a copy of the book Against Technoableism A stack of Against Ableism on a bookstore table
March 25, 2024 at 10:25 PM
jaivirdi.com
NEW BOOK TALK!

My next book "The 'Deafness Problem' in Modern Britain" will be published by McGill-Queen's UP in 2025. Two chapters discuss how the concept of hereditary deafness were shaped by eugenics policies in deaf schools & clinics.

Contact me if you'd like me to discuss DEAF EUGENICS 👇
A graphic with faded background showing a pedigree chart for a deaf family with several generations of deafness. Superimposed on top is the title DEAF EUGENICS: Medicine & hereditary deafness by Jaipreet Virdi
March 25, 2024 at 4:29 PM
jaivirdi.com
The most anticipated book in Disability history & history of medicine...about the strange history of America's "posture epidemic"!

Beth Linker's SLOUCH (Princeton UPress) chronicles this history from eugenics & posture pageants to posture apps.

Buy here: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
Jai's hand holding up the book SLOUCH: POSTURE PANIC IN MODERN AMERICA by Beth Linker. it is all red, with the title on the bottom. The "H" in the title is in the shape of a chair and an outline of a slouching woman is seated on it.
March 20, 2024 at 4:05 PM
jaivirdi.com
For #WorldHearingDay, I wonder: what would images of deafness look like if we dismantle the stigma surrounding it?

Let's bring in a new norm to encompass the diversity of hearing aid wearers! I'm thrilled to be part of #GNHearing campaign photos by @galaricote!

#ad #TheNewNorm
Side view of Jai, a South Asian woman. Her dark hair is curled and pinned behind her ear to reveal a set of gold earrings and a gold colored hearing peeking out from the top of her ear. The text below says The New Norm, photographed by Gala Ricote. GN Hearing. Top view of Jai's hands showing a small pair of digital hearing aids. One hand is cupping the device while the other reaches to pick it up. Side view of Jai, a South Asian woman. Her dark hair is curled and pinned behind her ear to reveal a set of gold earrings and a gold colored hearing peeking out from the top of her ear. She is reading. Side profile of Jai who is looking off to the distance while slowly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Slightly visible in her ear is a hearing aid.
March 3, 2024 at 1:35 PM
jaivirdi.com
For Endometriosis Awareness Month, I'm launching my new research project on South Asian people's experiences with endometriosis.

Learn more about the project: jaivirdi.com/endo-project/

Interested in sharing your story? Contact me! #EndometriosisAwarenessMonth
March 1, 2024 at 5:47 PM
jaivirdi.com
"Hello, may we tell you about the Book of Dog?"
Two small white dogs lying on a sofa looking intensly at the viewer. There is a large window behind them showing a sunny view of the street and there is a large plant next to the sofa.
February 18, 2024 at 4:29 PM
jaivirdi.com
Looked it up -- its a Rein design, so yep, it was meant to be worn with a headband attachment for added comfort and to be hidden in the hair
images of various types of ear cornets to be worn in the ear with a headband, and an illustration showing it in use
December 27, 2023 at 7:52 PM
jaivirdi.com
Thank you for the #HSS23 memories at @historyscience.bsky.social in Portland!!

Until next year in Mérida for #HSS100!!!
An audience at a conference looking at the podium.
November 12, 2023 at 6:23 PM
jaivirdi.com
Too early for me, but on my way to Portland for #HSS23 !
Jai holding a takeout coffee cup in front of an airplane window
November 9, 2023 at 11:26 AM
jaivirdi.com
Arrived in Cleveland, ready to give the Zvernia Lecture at the Dittrick Museum today at 1pm on the history of hearing aids.

And how fitting is it that I would walk by a poster of Nelson Mandela wearing a hearing aid!

If you'd like to join virtually: artsci.case.edu/dittrick/upc...
Photo of Nelson Mandela in his aged years. His right ear is visible and showing a canal hearing aid.
November 2, 2023 at 3:02 PM
jaivirdi.com
Sneak peek to tonight's lecture!
Laptop on a bed with a slide showing Chuck Baird's art piece of an ear with mechanical parts. Text overlaid says: An Oppression of Difference.
October 24, 2023 at 9:46 PM
jaivirdi.com
Hey Seattle!

I'm giving a talk tonight at the Town Hall for the University of Washington Public Lecture Series. The event is accessible with a virtual option as well:

www.washington.edu/lectures/eve...
Poster showing the profile of a South Asian woman's face. Her eyes are closed. There are swirls extending from her ear. The text on top says: Jaipreet Virdi, The Disabled Gaze: Rethinking the Past, Remaking the Future"
October 24, 2023 at 4:34 PM
jaivirdi.com
A devastating loss of a brilliant and generous historian.

I am indebted to Natalie Zemon Davis in ways I can't yet articulate. I have learned so much from her work, life, and from our conversations. Thank you for everything...you will be missed.
Jai with Natalie Zemon Davis
October 23, 2023 at 3:18 PM