Experiences of Hearing Children of Deaf Parents in Ireland.
Georgina Heffernan, Elizabeth Nixon
PMID 37384375WHAT IT FOUND
Hearing adults raised by deaf parents in Ireland described sign language as normal, stigma from hearing people, and interpreting for parents from age 5.
They found brokering stressful, especially in hospitals and parent-teacher meetings, yet also felt it prepared them for adulthood.
Key findings
01All 12 participants described growing up with deaf parents as normal, with Irish Sign Language often the first language and Deaf club life familiar.
02Almost all participants reported negative attitudes toward deafness, including pity, bullying, and assumptions that deaf people lacked intelligence.
03All participants described interpreting for their parents, sometimes from age 5, and many found this stressful while also seeing it as preparation for adulthood.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only 12 hearing adults were interviewed, and all had two deaf parents who used Irish Sign Language, so the accounts may not represent families with one deaf parent or parents who use speech rather than sign language. Participants were aged 22 to 54 years and recalled childhood experiences, so memory may shape the accounts. The sample was recruited through a private Facebook group and participants' networks, so it may not include CODAs outside those networks. No data were collected about parents' education or occupational status, so differences linked to those factors cannot be judged. The themes are one interpretation of the interviews, and another research team might have produced different themes. The study was limited to Ireland, so experiences may differ in other countries.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as evidence that interpreting for deaf parents causes emotional harm or that professional interpreters improve family functioning. The paper reports 12 adults' recollections of childhood roles, not measured outcomes or a tested intervention.