The experiences of Cypriot hearing adults with Deaf parents in family, school, and society.
This paper investigates the personal experiences of hearing adults with signing Deaf parents in their families, school, and society. In order to obtain relevant information, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 Cypriot hearing adults with Deaf parents between the ages of 21 and 30 years with different occupation, sex, and educational background. It was found that most of the participants developed a bicultural identity, undertook the interpreter and protector role in their family, and interacted well with their parents, despite the lack of in-depth communication that they noted. The positive role of the extended family was acknowledged. The prejudices of Cypriot hearing people against the Deaf people were identified, as well as the lack of state support toward the Deaf community. This study has implications for Deaf parents, and professionals working, planning, and implementing social, psychological, and educational support services to Deaf-parented families.
Hadjikakou
Kika
K
Ministry of Education and Culture, Cyprus. kikaha@cytanet.com.cy
Christodoulou
Despina
D
Hadjidemetri
Eleni
E
Konidari
Maria
M
Nicolaou
Nicoletta
N
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology; D003142:Communication; D003535:Cyprus; D003638:Deafness; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011287:Prejudice; D012380:Role; D012574:Schools; D012813:Sign Language; D012933:Social Identification; D012944:Social Support; D055815:Young Adult