Born into a hearing family: a guide for hearing parents with deaf children

Project (M.A., Education (Multicultural Education)) -- California State University, Sacramento, 2011.Nine out of 10 Deaf children are born to hearing parents. Many of these Deaf children are placed into mainstream classrooms in part because of a lack of knowledge on deaf education exists for these parents. Parents of Deaf children do not realize the different education opportunities that are provided for them. There is not enough support and education for parents of Deaf children and how to cope with their emotions. This project, I proposed that providing emotional hurdles begins with a parents??? knowledge of deafness and hard of hearing children. In this project, it engages my family in an open dialogue on their emotions and perspective on deafness and hard of hearing individuals. The researcher created a manual using literature review, the words of her family, and her own words and interpretation on deafness and the hard of hearing. Beginning with her father being deaf, the brother being hard of hearing and the researcher being hard of hearing, this study focuses on how to cope with emotions in a family that is deaf and hard of hearing. It focuses on the struggles that a hearing mother goes through to find acceptance for her two children from the hearing world. As a family, they find new ways to cope with their physical disability that shaped their actions. How the family does that should be helpful to those that are in the same position as this family. It is possible to overcome the fears of acceptance in a deaf and hard of hearing family and also to be engaged in a world of hearing.\ud Data was collected through a review of relevant literature, family dialogue, and various websites to compile this project to service those that are parents of the deaf or hard of hearing children.\ud A manual for hearing parents with deaf/hard of hearing children to educate parents on their options when their child is deaf was developed.Education (Multicultural Education