Maija Karoliina Koivisto is a Finnish social policy and human rights researcher specializing in historical injustices against Deaf and sign language communities. She is a doctoral researcher in the Doctoral Programme in Gender, Culture, and Society at the University of Helsinki and has worked extensively on participatory truth and reconciliation processes in Finland. Her scholarship combines archival research, community engagement, and public advocacy to address past and present inequalities faced by sign language users.
Academic Career
Koivisto is a doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki within the Doctoral Programme in Gender, Culture, and Society [1]. Since 2022, she has also served on the board of the Abilis Foundation, an organization promoting the rights of persons with disabilities globally[1].
Research Focus
Her work focuses on uncovering historical and systemic injustices against Deaf people and sign language communities in Finland. Central to her research is the exploration of truth and reconciliation processes that meaningfully involve the Deaf community[1][2]. She has investigated issues such as legal recognition of injustices, community memory, and the intersection of disability rights with linguistic human rights.
Major Works
Koivisto co-authored the report Viitotut muistot, commissioned to document injustices against Deaf and sign language communities in Finland during the 20th century and to outline prerequisites for a governmental truth and reconciliation process[1]. She is also co-editor of the peer-reviewed volume Deaf People, Injustice and Reconciliation: Signed Memories (2024), which compiles narratives, historical analysis, and policy discussion to support reconciliation[1][2].
Advocacy and Media Presence
Koivisto’s expertise extends beyond academia into advocacy and public communication. She contributed a guest article for the Finnish League for Human Rights, emphasizing that historical injustices against sign language users remain largely unacknowledged and continue to affect the present[2]. Her work has also been featured in Finnish media, including reports on the forced sterilization of thousands of people in Finland during the 20th century, which affected members of the Deaf community[3].
Impact
Koivisto’s research has influenced public debates in Finland on how historical wrongs are addressed and how reconciliation processes can be inclusive of Deaf voices. Her scholarship has contributed to shaping a framework for acknowledging linguistic and disability-based discrimination in official truth-seeking processes[1][2][3].
- University of Helsinki. (n.d.). Maija Karoliina Koivisto. University of Helsinki Research Portal.
- Finnish League for Human Rights. (2018, October 2). Many wounds remain unhealed – Historical injustices against sign language users have not been acknowledged and continue to shadow the present day.
- Lapin Kansa. (2022, September 26). Suomessa pakkosteriloitiin 1900-luvulla tuhansia ihmisiä – mukana myös kuuroja naisia.
