CODAs

AquaBlue

AquaBlue

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I have only been leaning about the Deaf culture for a less than a year (total). During that time I never heard, read or was told about CODAs (Child Of Deaf Adult). When I first read the acronym here in AD, I did not know its definition. Being a hearing man and an ASL student, I know just a little about Deaf culture in general so when I discovered that there existed hearing children born to deaf parent(s) I was surprised because I never thought about that situation.

I found this paragraph on the Wiki site:

Because CODAs are hearing, but raised in visual signing environments, some face difficulty with social and cultural norms that differ from the norms within their deaf community. Some CODAs receive enough exposure to spoken language models through extended family members, neighbors, and television. Other CODAs require speech therapy, due to limited exposure to spoken language. Typically, CODAs attend hearing schools. Due to the dichotomy between the culture in their Deaf home and the hearing culture in their school, many CODAs feel that they don't fully fit in with either culture.
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The reason for my thread is to learn more about CODAs and what challenges they confront on a daily basis. Please share with me (everyone...not just CODAs) the facts about this segment of the Deaf world. Thank you.
 
There exists a sign for both hearing and deaf individuals. So is there one for CODAs or does one just sign the word hearing instead?
 
thanks for explaining that, someone referenced that acronym and I had no idea what it meant.

I can sit here and try to imagine the validity of the said difficulties that comes from being a deaf parent raising a child that is hearing.

a suggestion, have them watch educational tv as much as possible, or invest in language programs for kids.
also have friends and family that speak over as much as possible.

but I'm sure these have already been thought of.
 
I recall when I first viewed the documentary, Sound and Fury, that the hearing mother that was for CI was/is a CODA herself. There is a very short segment in the film where she declares her needing speech therapy when she was young in order to regain her hearing voice. That woman came to mind when I just learned about CODAs.
 
AquaBlue said:
There exists a sign for both hearing and deaf individuals. So is there one for CODAs or does one just sign the word hearing instead?
Click to expand...

Depending on who I'm talking to ... I either spell CODA, or sign "FATHER MOTHER DEAF"


I know you collect books ... if you haven't read "Train Go Sorry" I'd recommend it - and "Journey into the DEAF WORLD" both good books.

I know you're collecting dictionaries and such ... but honestly I think at this point you would benefit far more from Deaf Culture/Awareness books than more dictionaries. I say that because I know you've taken classes in the past, and are signed up for more in the future, as well as already having a variety of Dictionaries and online resources.

I think it's really a shame that we don't encourage "starting students" (anyone who hasn't taken a Deaf Studies course) to do more reading on Deaf Culture and community early on ... because it's that foundation on which everything else is built - it actually makes learning ASL much more "logical"

JMHO - sorry for the mini tangent !!
 
AquaBlue said:
I recall when I first viewed the documentary, Sound and Fury, that the hearing mother that was for CI was/is a CODA herself. There is a very short segment in the film where she declares her needing speech therapy when she was young in order to regain her hearing voice. That woman came to mind when I just learned about CODAs.
Click to expand...

This might be true for some ... but I know many hearing CODA who haven't had any "extra speech" issues - other than your average run of the mill hearing pronouciation issues that are just as common for HOHA.

She also mentioned that she functioned as her parents interpreters ... which at least here - is NOT looked on as an acceptable thing (except in the very rare case) by Deaf here ... in fact in Deaf Studies, and immersion programs here hearing are taught that having hearing CODA interpret is just plain WRONG.

Obviously there's a few cases here where HMMV
 
Anij said:
Depending on who I'm talking to ... I either spell CODA, or sign "FATHER MOTHER DEAF"


I know you collect books ... if you haven't read "Train Go Sorry" I'd recommend it - and "Journey into the DEAF WORLD" both good books.

I know you're collecting dictionaries and such ... but honestly I think at this point you would benefit far more from Deaf Culture/Awareness books than more dictionaries. I say that because I know you've taken classes in the past, and are signed up for more in the future, as well as already having a variety of Dictionaries and online resources.

I think it's really a shame that we don't encourage "starting students" (anyone who hasn't taken a Deaf Studies course) to do more reading on Deaf Culture and community early on ... because it's that foundation on which everything else is built - it actually makes learning ASL much more "logical"

JMHO - sorry for the mini tangent !!
Click to expand...

Oh but I just (last night) reserved a Deaf culture book from my public library via the Web. I am now waiting for it to arrive at my nearby branch. So you see I'm doing something about it. :afro:
 
Anij said:
This might be true for some ... but I know many hearing CODA who haven't had any "extra speech" issues - other than your average run of the mill hearing pronouciation issues that are just as common for HOHA.

She also mentioned that she functioned as her parents interpreters ... which at least here - is NOT looked on as an acceptable thing (except in the very rare case) by Deaf here ... in fact in Deaf Studies, and immersion programs here hearing are taught that having hearing CODA interpret is just plain WRONG.

Obviously there's a few cases here where HMMV
Click to expand...

Interesting Anij. Thanks for your input.
 
Anij said:
Depending on who I'm talking to ... I either spell CODA, or sign "FATHER MOTHER DEAF"


I know you collect books ... if you haven't read "Train Go Sorry" I'd recommend it - and "Journey into the DEAF WORLD" both good books.

I know you're collecting dictionaries and such ... but honestly I think at this point you would benefit far more from Deaf Culture/Awareness books than more dictionaries. I say that because I know you've taken classes in the past, and are signed up for more in the future, as well as already having a variety of Dictionaries and online resources.

I think it's really a shame that we don't encourage "starting students" (anyone who hasn't taken a Deaf Studies course) to do more reading on Deaf Culture and community early on ... because it's that foundation on which everything else is built - it actually makes learning ASL much more "logical"

JMHO - sorry for the mini tangent !!
Click to expand...

Also, the book, Mother Father Deaf written by a former English teacher at the deaf school my son attended is a great book for information on CODAs.
 
I have an only son who is hearing all grown up. He had problems with his speech because I tried to talk to him in my Deaf accent which I did not know that. Someone told me that my son mispronounced his words wrong because I signed and talked with him that way. When he was out in public, he was very embarassed being in public with me being deaf and refuse to sign in front of people like at the fast food place, etc. He would only sign at home, but not out in public. I think now that he understand where I am coming from as a Deaf individual. Most CODAs really don't understand what is deaf like with their parent or parents who are deaf. They have never been deaf. Sometimes they think they are deaf, too, but in a different perspective as a hearing CODA. They are in two worlds between hearing and deaf. Like me, I am in two worlds as native and white as I don't know which one I should have for my heritage. Now I am very proud of being a modern Deaf Native, not traditionalist. Just a few traditional ways that I can follow with the four directions, smudging, study our native history, and trying to go along with the hearing traditionalists that sometimes help me understand their way. We have lost a lot over five hundred years or more. But we learn mostly from the Elders which is very important to help us cope with our identity. I am helping my son understand my way as a Deaf individual and he knows that. :)
 
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