Deaf People Research Paper

This thesis describes the youth, family relationships and shool days of Deaf people in Iceland, focusing on their childhood and conditions during their growing years. The thesis is built on a qualitative study, which was conducted periodically during 2004 – 2009. Eight Deaf individuals were interviewed, and the thesis elaborates on their personal experience and narration. The study revealed that the participants slowly grew away from the hearing world, replacing it with stronger connections with other Deaf individuals. This substitution started already in childhood, when games began requiring more communication. If the parents and siblings of Deaf people did not adopt Sign Language it could lead to interruptions in communication, and even affect family relationships of these individuals. …show more content…
Their remoteness from the family and where they came from could prove difficult for a young child, who did not neccesarily realise what whas happening in their life. The thesis also discusses the participants’ experience of the education system, the importance of the Heyrnleysingjaskóli during their developmental years, as well as describing the Deaf community and culture. The findings indicate that it is important to guarantee Deaf people´s access to Sign Language in every situation: in their home, in school, at work and in their social life. In their opinion it is the precondition for their well-being and welfare in life. Given these circumstances, the participants believed they are on equal footing with hearing people, which is the group that Deaf people tend to compare with, rather than other groups of people with disabilities. The art of living in a hearing world lies in Sign