Deaf Members Research Articles

The communication experiences of adult deaf people within their family during childhood in Cyprus

Abstract This study investigates the personal communication memories and experiences of adult deaf people during their childhoods in their homes. In order to obtain relevant information in depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty four Cypriot deaf individuals between the ages of 19 to 54 years with different family and school backgrounds. Those who graduated from the school for the deaf, and used sign language from an early age had negative communication experiences at home. It was found that they could not achieve communication either in CSL or orally with their hearing parents (n = 12). On the other hand, those participants who graduated from general schools did not record any negative memories, since they could communicate from an early age with their hearing parents through speech (n = 10). Similarly, the two participants, who attended the school for the deaf, and signed with their family Deaf members from an early age, described pleasant communication memories. This study suggests ...

The Communication Experiences of Adult Deaf People within their Family During Childhood in Cyprus

This study investigates the personal communication memories and experiences of adult deaf people during their childhoods in their homes. In order to obtain relevant information in depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty four Cypriot deaf individuals between the ages of 19 to 54 years with different family and school backgrounds. Those who graduated from the school for the deaf, and used sign language from an early age had negative communication experiences at home. It was found that they could not achieve communication either in CSL or orally with their hearing parents (n = 12). On the other hand, those participants who graduated from general schools did not record any negative memories, since they could communicate from an early age with their hearing parents through speech (n = 10). Similarly, the two participants, who attended the school for the deaf, and signed with their family Deaf members from an early age, described pleasant communication memories. This study suggests the importance of an early and mutual mode of communication between family members and the deaf children, regardless the communication modality to ensure pleasant family communication interchanges and experiences. This could be taken into consideration by people involved in deaf education, including service providers, educators, parents, and counselors. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Extreme Connection Between Bodies and Houses

The Extreme Connection Between Bodies and Houses

HIV/AIDS and disability: Differences in HIV/AIDS knowledge between deaf and hearing people in Nigeria

Purpose. Studies both in North America and Europe have found that deaf individuals lack access to AIDS information, due to problems in communication, low literacy and tightly woven social networks within the deaf community. However few comparable studies are available from countries in the Developing World. The present study was undertaken in Nigeria where there is an estimated adult HIV prevalence rate of 5.4%. We sought to compare HIV knowledge among deaf and hearing individuals in order to identify how effectively deaf members of the community are being reached by HIV/AIDS messages.Methods. A survey comparing knowledge about HIV/AIDS among deaf and hard of hearing adolescents (n = 50) and young adults (n = 50) was undertaken.Results. Significant differences (p < 0.05) in levels of understanding about certain aspects of how AIDS is spread were identified as well as differences in available resources for access to accurate information among deaf members of the population.Conclusion. These findings from Nigeria speak strongly to the need for the development of interventions that include people with disabilities in public health and HIV/AIDS strategies and that address their specific vulnerabilities. Evaluating the adaptation of education material and the inclusion of the deaf population in HIV awareness programmes is an urgent ‘next step.’

Creating and Contesting Signs in Contemporary Japan: Language Ideologies, Identity, and Community in Flux

Japanese Sign Language (JSL) is currently in a state of transition as various elements within and outside the Deaf community contest the creation of new terms. Represented by the Japanese Federation of the Deaf, the older generation is creating new words in order to compete with the national public television service while at the same time fending off criticism from younger, culturally Deaf members. This article examines the language ideologies present in this complex situation.

Création du logiciel d’alphabétisation bilingue pour les Sourds “Le français sur le bout des doigts”: évaluation de l’outil et de la démarche de développement

Designed for a literate, hearing clientele, traditional CALL tools do not necessarily meet the needs of deaf people, and are not adapted to their learning styles, especially in the area of literacy. Current developments lead us to believe that, in order for deaf people to subscribe to literacy campaigns and to ensure that such measures are efficient, two conditions must be met: Quebec Sign Language must be the language of instruction (Dubuisson et al., 1997) and the participation of deaf people must be felt at every stage of the development of course material. Research has shown that in architecture, for example, the participation of the target clientele in the design process of the product can lead to the emergence of significant solutions (Vezeau et al., 1999). In light of the quantity of Web systems and products that are hardly used or difficult to use, Rubin (1994) reminds us of the need to consider the user, and not only the machine or the system, in the development process. The main goal of our research is to establish design parameters (developmental process, type of software, and content) for CALL software aimed at deaf adults. Only the data relating to the developmental process will be presented here. We will analyze and discuss the responses obtained through interviews with deaf members of the development team, audiotapes (on which an interpreter recorded the words of the team members), and videotapes of meetings. The interpretation of this data will give way to a qualitative assessment of the efficiency of the approach in the development of material adapted to the needs of the target population.

Sexual abuse of deaf children. A retrospective analysis of the prevalence and characteristics of childhood sexual abuse among deaf adults in Norway

Objective: North American studies conclude that deaf children may have a 2–3 times greater risk of sexual abuse than hearing children. No comparative studies are available in the Nordic countries. The present study was initiated to estimate the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse among deaf children in Norway, describe the nature of the abuse, and to examine risk factors. Method: A self-administered questionnaire was sent in 1999 to all 1150 adult deaf members of the Norwegian Deaf Register. The Deaf Register includes all deaf Norwegians. The questionnaire, which was also available videotaped in sign language, was an adapted version of a questionnaire used in a Norwegian survey among the general adult population in 1993. The results from this earlier study were used as a comparison group. Results: Deaf females aged 18–65 who lost their hearing before the age of 9 ( N=177) reported sexual abuse with contact before the age of 18 years more than twice as often as hearing females, and deaf males more than three times as often as hearing males. The abuse of the deaf children was also more serious. Very few cases were reported to parents, teachers, or authorities. Conclusions: Deaf children are at greater risk of sexual abuse than hearing children. The special schools for the deaf represent an extra risk of abuse, regardless of whether the deaf pupils live at home or in boarding schools.

EXPERIENCES OF THE DEAF IN EARLY MODERN ENGLAND

Some recent studies have highlighted the importance of sounds for social interaction in the early modern period, yet the consequences for deaf members of society are rarely questioned. Those without the ability to hear lived in a world of sounds controlled by those who heard. This article explores the extent to which the deaf were socially integrated in English society between the mid-sixteenth and mid-eighteenth centuries. It also assesses the disadvantages suffered by those born deaf, or who lost their hearing. Crucial to the discussion is an understanding that experiences were not uniform, as the term deafness covered a wide spectrum of conditions, from temporary hearing loss to profound congenital deafness. Clearly some were more disabled than others, but their disadvantages were more to do with traditional social divisions of wealth and status, rather than the extent of their hearing impairment. Fundamentally, the most inhibiting factor was an inability to apprehend words.

Non-syndromic progressive hearing loss DFNA38 is caused by heterozygous missense mutation in the Wolfram syndrome gene WFS1.

Dominantly inherited progressive hearing loss DFNA38 is caused by heterozygosity for a novel mutation in WFS1, the gene for recessively inherited Wolfram syndrome. Wolfram syndrome is defined by juvenile diabetes mellitus and optic atrophy and may include progressive hearing loss and other neurological symptoms. Heterozygotes for other Wolfram syndrome mutations generally have normal hearing. Dominant deafness defined by DFNA38 is more severe than deafness of Wolfram syndrome patients and lacks any syndromic features. In a six-generation kindred from Newfoundland, Canada, WFS1 Ala716Thr (2146 G-->A) was shared by all deaf members of the family and was specific to deaf individuals. The causal relationship between this missense mutation and deafness was supported by two observations based on haplotype and mutation analysis of the kindred. First, a relative homozygous for the mutation was diagnosed at age 3 years with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, the central feature of Wolfram syndrome. Second, two relatives with normal hearing had an identical haplotype to that defining DFNA38, with the exception of the base pair at position 2146. Other rare variants of WFS1 co-inherited with deafness in the family could be excluded as disease-causing mutations on the basis of this hearing-associated haplotype. The possibility that 'mild' mutations in WFS1 might be a cause of non-syndromic deafness in the general population should be explored.

Families with deaf members: American Annals of the Deaf, 1996 to 2000.

The authors provide an overview of 21 articles from several countries focusing on families with deaf members published in the literary issues of the American Annals of the Deaf from 1996 to 2000. Four categories were identified: Interaction and Involvement, Support Services, Stress and Coping, and Decision Making. The articles represent a commendable expansion of focus from the mother-child dyad to increased attention to fathers, siblings, extended family members, and significant nonfamily members such as deaf adults. The heterogeneity of families was a striking factor, even within those studies dealing with relatively homogeneous populations. Services appeared to be most effective within middle-class, educated family units, illustrating the need for more comprehensive services sensitive to the needs of families from less affluent backgrounds and with lower levels of education. In general, services to families with deaf children may be characterized as better than in the past but still in need of significant sensitivity and improvement. The presence of a deaf child in a family with hearing parents may cause stress, but parents have the flexibility to respond in a positive and beneficial way, especially when provided adequate information and support. The idea that hearing parents go through a grieving process involving the identification of deafness in their child seems to be an overstatement.

Grandparents' role in family systems with a deaf child. An exploratory study.

This qualitative study explored the role of grandparents in hearing/deaf family systems. Specifically, the grandparental role was examined in six family systems across at least three generations (grandparent, parent, deaf grandchild). The study's purpose was to provide insight into personal and interpersonal functioning of extended family systems with a deaf member and to provide a basis for future quantitative research. Results indicated that grandparents were willing to provide diverse support services to their children and grandchildren to the extent permitted by their resources and the nature of their existing relationship with the deaf child's parent(s). The advent of a deaf grandchild appeared to have strong effects on the extended family system, but typically system responses were consistent with the quality of preexisting relationships. Families with weak intrafamilial communication tended to have difficulties with incorrect assumptions. Families with unresolved individuation issues tended to replay these issues within the context of attempts to adapt to their changed circumstances.

Seeing Language in Sign: The Work of William C. Stokoe

In 1955 William C. Stokoe arrived at Gallaudet College (later Gallaudet University) to teach English where he was first exposed to deaf people signing. While most of his colleagues dismissed signing as mere mimicry of speech, Stokoe saw in it elements of a distinctive language all its own.Seeing Language in Signtraces the process that Stokoe followed to prove scientifically and unequivocally that American Sign Language (ASL) met the full criteria of linguisticsphonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and use of languageto be classified a fully developed language. This perceptive account dramatically captures the struggle Stokoe faced in persuading the establishment of the truth of his discovery. Other faculty members ridiculed or reviled him, and many deaf members of the Gallaudet community laughed at his efforts.Seeing Language in Signrewards the reader with a rich portrayal of an undaunted advocate who, like a latter-day Galileo, pursued his vision doggedly regardless of relentless antagonism. He established the Linguistics Research Laboratory, then founded the journalSign Language Studiesto sustain an unpopular dialogue until the tide changed. His ultimate vindication corresponded with the recognition of the glorious culture and community that revolves around Deaf people and their language, ASL.

Intergroup Relations: Political action and identity in the deaf community

This paper examines the relationship between self-image and political action in the deaf community. Self image has two components: personal identity and social identity. The two are inextricably intertwined. Self image is associated with political action largely through identifying oneself as a member of a particular group and then perceiving that one's group is receiving an inequitable share of resources compared to some other reference group. The deaf community is used as a case in point to illustrate the development and formation of a politically conscious and active community. The effects of ethnocentrism, stereotyping, and inequities in resource distribution on intergroup relations between deaf and nondeaf members of these two communities are analyzed.

Familial IgA Nephropathy Associated With Bilateral Sensorineural Deafness

Alport’s syndrome is the most frequent disorder with familial nephritis and deafness, but other types of nephropathy have been occasionally associated with hereditary hearing loss. The familial occurrence of IgA nephropathy has been well documented. We report a family with hereditary, bilateral, sensorineural deafness spanning four generations. Three of five members with deafness had microscopic hematuria. Renal histology of the two deaf members undergoing biopsy showed mesangial glomerulonephritis with mesangiallgA deposits, without ultrastructural abnormalities of the glomerular basement membranes. Familial nephritis with deafness should not be equated with the diagnosis of Alport’s syndrome.

Abstracts edited by Neil Frude

Friedman, S. (1987) Technical considerations in the behaviour‐marital treatment of agoraphobia. American Journal of Family Therapy,Parker, T., Hill, J. W. and Miller, G. (1987) Multiple family therapy: evaluating a group experience for mentally retarded adolescents and their families. Family TherapyBerger, M. and Jurkovic, G. J. (1987) Family context in therapy. Journal of Family PsychologyLebow, J. L. (1987) Training psychologists in family therapy in family institute settings. Journal of Family PgcholosySloman, L., Perry, A. and Frankenburg, F. (1987) Family therapy with deaf member families. American Journal of Family TherapyHoopes, M. H. (1987) Multigenerational systems: basic assumptions. American Journal of Family TherapyMunton, A. G. and Antaki, C. (1988) Causal beliefs amongst families in therapy: attributions at the group level. British Journal of Clinical Psychology

Family therapy with deaf member families

Abstract This paper examines how family therapists can be more responsive to the unique needs and problems of deaf member families. Methods of training in communication for deaf children are compared, as well as the conflicts that may accompany the adoption of a given method. The pivotal role of communication problems between hearing and deaf family members in contributing to symptomatic behavior is stressed. The relationship between the roles of interpreter and therapist as well as obstacles to treatment are reviewed. A selected case history illustrates the interplay of these variables in successful treatment.

Interpreting Hymns for Deaf Worshippers

Interpreters for deaf people are naturally concerned with both ethical and linguistic issues. The special skills needed to interpret for deaf clients with varying competence in systems as different as American Sign Language (ASL) and the various manual codes and English itself, as well as to interpret in medical, legal, work-related, and educational settings, have led to certification at different levels by the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, which has also prepared guide- lines for various interpreting tasks. Interpreters of sermons and hymns in church services face additional challenges inherent in religious liturgy. Moreover, deaf churchgoers not sharing educational advantages and language skills present the interpreter with a heterogeneous group in situations where both interpreter and worshipper may be aware that spiritual welfare is at stake. Hymns, written as they are in archaic English, pose special problems; and matching words of a translation to music makes further demands. Obviously any interpreter needs competence in ASL and knowledge of signs for religious terms. Whether such competence and knowledge are sufficient for hymns to be of value to deaf worshippers is the question we address here. Specia 1 Because hymns are an important part of worship, h y mn a 1 s . the sign language interpreter has the responsi- bility of making hymns as meaningful as possible for the deaf congregation, or for deaf members of a hearing 217

A genetic study on deaf twins.

A clinical and genetic study on 25 twin pairs with at least one deaf member was performed. Concordance rate of hearing loss was 0.88 in MZ and 0.50 in DZ pairs, with an almost complete penetrance (P = 0.94). Consanguinity was found in 32% of cases, corresponding to five times the average population rate in Japan.

Sensorineural deafness.

A NUMBER of articles dealing with familial nerve deafness have added to the previously published reports of this irreversible and often progressive affliction. Mengel et al¹state that only nine of 54 types of hereditary nerve deafness have no associated abnormalities. In the sex linked are congenital, severe, early onset, high tone deafness; in the dominant are midfrequency, progressive and unilateral deafness. Finally a recessive congenital severe deafness is recognized. They propose another recessive type (recessive, early onset, neural deafness) on the basis of their study of a Mennonite family with 16 deaf members. History, sonograms, and auditory tests suggest some hearing in early childhood that deteriorates by late childhood. Proctor and Proctor²present a useful classification of dominant and recessive nerve deafness associated with a wide variety of hereditary disease. They point out that the pathological changes are usually confined to the organ of Corti and stria

A PEDIGREE OF OTOSCLEROSIS

A pedigree is presented of the type of deafness known as otosclerosis. In this pedigree otosclerosis is dependent upon an autosomal dominant gene. The degree of deafness varied from partial deafness in most affected individuals to one case of severe deafness. Three deaf members and one hearing member of the pedigree suffered from catarrh, although catarrh is not usually associated with otosclerosis.