User:Marina Chapman/sandbox

Potential challenges facing hearing CODAs

Hearing CODAs must learn to balance the Deaf culture in which they were raised and the hearing culture that inundates the world outside their household. Some face difficulty reconciling the social and cultural norms of the hearing community and the differing norms of their deaf community. While others enjoy having the opportunity to be included in both the hearing and deaf culture. CODAs often act as a communication link between their parents and society, trying to bridge the cultural and linguistic gap between their deaf family and the predominately hearing society. Due to misconceptions about deafness in the hearing world and biases against hearing people in the deaf community, many CODAs struggle in their role as a mediator between the two groups. An example of similar cultural identity issues can be found with children of immigrant families who do not speak English,[4] in a phenomenon known as Third Culture Kid.

More than sixty percent of CODAs are exposed to sign language and often become fluent in ASL,[5] using this language as a means of communication with their parents. As children, more CODAs are fluent in sign language than the majority of the deaf world.[6] In addition, many CODAs receive enough exposure to spoken language models to become fluent in spoken languages through neighbors, classmates, television, and extended family members who want to ensure the CODA offspring will learn to talk.[7] However, other CODAs require speech therapy due to their limited exposure to spoken language. The children that are proficient in both sign language and spoken language are frequently expected to serve as interpreters between their deaf parents and the hearing community from a young age.[8] These children must deal with situations that may be considered inappropriate, either because of the subject matter or their age, placing them in a confusing and vulnerable position.[9] Hearing adults treat the CODA like the adult and the deaf parent like the child in many situations,[10] forcing CODAs to grow up more quickly than other children.

There is pressure on the hearing child of a deaf adult to protect their parent from things the parent cannot hear. Whether it be ignorant or insensitive comments made by passersby, or things such as alarming noises around the house (fire alarm, burglars, etc.). These pressures result in the child feeling as if it is their responsibility to take care of their parent which can lead to a distorted perception of family roles in the future. [11]

Typically, CODAs attend hearing schools and interact frequently with the hearing world.[12] These families must bridge the divide between the hearing and deaf worlds, thus facing unique communication and parenting challenges.[13] Despite the fact that CODA’s grow up surrounded by deaf culture, they lack the audiological deafness that is an integral criteria to achieve complete acceptance into the deaf community.[14] Having been raised in a Deaf household, however, they never feel fully integrated into the hearing community either. CODAs often feel lost between the two worlds, unsure of their identity in either group. Due to the dichotomy between the culture in their deaf home and the hearing culture that dominates society, many CODAs struggle to establish their identities and feel that they don't fully fit in with either the deaf or hearing community.[15]

While being a CODA does not necessarily mean the person is fluent in both English and American Sign Language, over sixty percent of CODAs are taught ASL as a first language and become fluent. Because of this many CODAs have the opportunity to become interpreters. They are already equipped with the skills and experience necessary. CODAs also tend to understand the importance of being able to interpret accurately and recognize the potential severity of inaccurate interpretation. CODAs that have been raised dually in both the hearing and deaf cultures have the experience of understanding the cultural habits of both cultures and can be sensitive to those. The qualifier that makes CODAs so unique and talented in the interpreting field is that CODAs have been "parented" by a Deaf adult. A substantial and intentional relationship was forged amidst the two cultures which is an experience unique to CODAs. The cost of invisibility codas and the sign language interpreting profession Marina Chapman (talk) 14:48, 8 April 2013 (UTC)