The Dr Deaf Mug
Since 2023, the Dr Deaf team has handed out a specially designed Dr Deaf mug to participants who successfully completed a PhD.
The mug is deliberately presented as something money cannot buy: it can only be earned, and only handed on by the community itself. Receiving one marks a transition — from participant to the kind of mentor who welcomes the next person into the space.
“A small but powerful symbol of belonging and affirmation in a space I now contribute to as a teacher.”
Nora, reflecting on receiving her Dr Deaf mug after her PhD defense
Read more in De Meulder, Murray & Kusters (2026), “This is our rhythm: academic becoming and realignment in deaf space”, The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education.
Dr Deaf 