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Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education Advance Access originally published online on June 5, 2009
The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education 2009 14(4):486-502; doi:10.1093/deafed/enp011
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

The Experiences of Cypriot Hearing Adults With Deaf Parents in Family, School, and Society

Kika Hadjikakou

Ministry of Education and Culture, Cyprus

Despina Christodoulou

Eleni Hadjidemetri

Maria Konidari

Nicoletta Nicolaou

European University, Cyprus


  Abstract

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.

Correspondence should be sent to Kika Hadjikakou, PO Box 20653, Nicosia 1661, Cyprus (e-mail: kikaha{at}cytanet.com.cy).

Received January 7, 2009; revised March 31, 2009; accepted April 3, 2009


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