Child of deaf adult
A child of a deaf adult, often known by the acronym "CODA", is a person who was raised by a deaf parent or guardian. Many CODAs identify with both deaf and hearing cultures. The acronym KODA (Kid Of Deaf Adult) is sometimes used to refer to CODAs under the age of 18.
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[edit] Potential challenges facing hearing CODAs
Because most hearing CODAs are raised in visual signing environments, some face difficulty with social and cultural norms that differ from the norms within their deaf community. Many CODAs receive enough exposure to spoken language models through extended family members, neighbors, classmates, and television.[citation needed] Other CODAs require speech therapy, due to limited exposure to spoken language. Typically, CODAs attend hearing schools.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]
[edit] Support organizations
The organization CODA (Children of Deaf Adults) was established in 1983[1] by founder Millie Brother for hearing children of deaf adults in the United States.[1] CODA began hosting annual conferences in 1986, in Fremont, California.[2] The conferences have grown, taking on an international status with attendees hailing from worldwide. CODA aims to raised awareness among CODAs themselves, the deaf community and the hearing world about the unique experiences and issues of growing up between these two cultures.[1] CODA believes these experiences and issues seem to be universal among CODAs regardless of what spoken and sign languages they used. CODA also seeks to service CODAs raised with deaf parents who are oral and do not sign. An example of similar cultural identity issues can be found with children of expatriates, in a phenomenon known as Third Culture Kid.
There are support groups for Deaf parents who may be concerned about raising their hearing children, as well as support groups for adult CODAs. There are also several camps established for KODAs.
- Camp Mark Seven, which hosts 2-week programs for preteen and teen KODAs
- Camp Grizzly,[3] which hosts a 1-week program for preteen and teen CODAs
- KODAWest, which is a week long camp on Imperial Beach in San Diego, California held in the summer annually. It has campers starting with the age of eight to fifteen, Counselors-in-training (CIT) ages sixteen to seventeen, and Counselors ages eighteen and up.
"Mother_Father_Deaf" is a Yahoo Groups listserve exclusively for CODAs who are 18 years of age and older. It was established in 1999.
[edit] Notable CODAs
- Charlie Babb, pro-football player for the Miami Dolphins (1972–1979)[4]
- Alexander Graham Bell, whose mother, Eliza Grace Symonds Bell, was hard of hearing, and whose wife, Mabel Hubbard, became deaf at age 5
- Lon Chaney, Sr., American actor raised by deaf parents, which allowed him to communicate better in silent films[5]
- Kambri Crews, American comedic storyteller and writer who incorporates sign language in performances and whose maternal grandparents are also deaf
- Dennis Daugaard, governor of South Dakota (2011-present)
- Lou Fant, American actor; sign language coach for Children of a Lesser God
- Louise Fletcher, American Academy Award-winning actress for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
- Carole L. Glickfeld, award winning author of USEFUL GIFTS, winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction and SWIMMING TOWARD THE OCEAN, winner of the Washington State Book Award
- Edward Miner Gallaudet, founder of Gallaudet University, son of Sophia Fowler Gallaudet and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, founder of the American School for the Deaf, the first school for the deaf in the U.S.
- Robert Gibson, professional wrestler
- Richard Griffiths, English actor
- Stefan LeFors, former Canadian football quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and former broadcaster for his alma mater, the University of Louisville
- Costel Pantilimon, goalkeeper for Manchester City and the Romania national football team
- Anthony Rumolo, member of the Ontario Deaf Hockey Team
- Homer Thornberry, United States Representative from the 10th congressional district of Texas from 1948 to 1963
- Myron Uhlberg, award-winning children’s book author who also published "Hands of My Father", a memoir of growing up as the oldest hearing son of deaf parents in Brooklyn
- Jim Verraros, American Idol finalist, season 1
- Keith Wann, performer in a deaf comedic troupe, Iceworm, showcasing cultural and linguistic barriers between the deaf and hearing worlds
[edit] Fictional CODAs
- Gil Grissom from the TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
- Abby Sciuto from the TV series NCIS
- Dicky Cobb from the TV series Reasonable Doubts
- Lara in the 1996 German film Beyond Silence
[edit] Related deaf culture acronyms
- OHCODA - Only Hearing Child of Deaf Adults (deaf parents and deaf siblings)
- OCODA - Only Child of Deaf Adult(s) (no siblings)
- KODA - Kid of Deaf Adult(s)
- SODA - Spouse or Sibling of a Deaf Adult(s)
- GODA - Grandchild of Deaf Adult(s)
- GGODA - Great Grandchild of Deaf Adult(s)
[edit] Publications
- Paul Preston (1995-09-01). Mother father deaf: living between sound and silence. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-58748-9. http://books.google.com/?id=l-q_qaxGTJUC.
- Leah Hager Cohen (1995-04-25). Train go sorry: inside a deaf world. Vintage. ISBN 978-0-679-76165-5. http://books.google.com/?id=cbcHAAAACAAJ.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c About CODA, coda-international.org
- ^ CODA events
- ^ NorCal | Services for Deaf & Hard of Hearing, Inc
- ^ Gannon, Jack. 1981. Deaf Heritage–A Narrative History of Deaf America, Silver Spring, MD: National Association of the Deaf, p. 413 (PDF)
- ^ Gannon, Jack. 1981. Deaf Heritage–A Narrative History of Deaf America, Silver Spring, MD: National Association of the Deaf, p. 414 (PDF)
[edit] External links
- CODA International - Organization for hearing children of Deaf adults
- CODA Essay - Communication & parenting issues in families with deaf parents and hearing children. [1]
