“It’s a hearing world”: Parents’ perspectives of the well-being of children who are deaf and hard of hearing

ABSTRACT

Children with disabilities are more likely to experience challenges in their daily lives. In particular, this study explores parents’ perspectives of the social and emotional well-being of their children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH). Despite the importance of research in this area, few studies have addressed the views of parents of young children who are DHH in regard to social and emotional experiences. A combination of social theories guided this research – the social model of disability and the “looking glass self” theory. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten hearing, English-speaking parents of children who are DHH. All parents noted the significance of social and emotional development as a marker of well-being in their children’s present and future lives. Data provided evidence of how parents and children seek to adapt and cope with threats of rejection and exclusion. Inclusive practices and policies, however, have not eliminated the societal stigma and lack of understanding that children who are DHH encounter on a daily basis. The authors call for additional research that examines the perspectives of children who are DHH as a way of generating best practices across contexts to support these children.

KEYWORDS:

• Parents
• children
• deaf
• hard of hearing
• well-being
• friendship
• social
• emotional
• disability

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Silent Voice and VOICE for collaborating on this research. Thank you as well to the parents who took the time to share their stories.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Elaine Cagulada completed this research in partial completion for a Master of Arts in Early Childhood Studies. Currently, she is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Social Justice Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at University of Toronto. Her research interests lie in contemporary interpretations of Deafness, race, and the resources afforded to people living this particular intersection.

Donna Koller is a professor within the School of Early Childhood Studies and holds a doctorate in Human Development and Applied Psychology from the University of Toronto. Her graduate studies began at the University of Missouri in Human Development and Family Studies with a specialisation in early childhood. Prior to graduate studies, she worked as a child life specialist in three pediatric hospitals both in Canada and the US. Dr. Koller has consulted internationally on psychosocial care issues for children with chronic medical conditions and research methods with young children. She is primary investigator on two externally funded studies (SSHRC Partnership Development and Insight grants), and one internally funded study. She is also an adjunct scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children within the Research Institute.

Notes

1 The authors recognise that disability, alongside deafness, can be interpreted in many different ways.