Deaf mothers' views of family life in families with deaf parents and hearing children

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe Deaf mothers' perceptions of family life in families with Deaf parents and nondeaf children. The study represented a secondary analysis of data from a larger study entitled "Family Functioning: Deaf Parents with Nondeaf Children" (Jones, 1990). Interviews based on an ecological family systems approach were analyzed utilizing the organizational framework of Parse' s conceptual model of nursing. Categories that emerged from interview analysis supported the themes of structuring meaning, patterns of relating, and transformation found in Parse' s model. The results of the study suggested a process whereby Deaf women structured meaning, patterned relationships, and lived the transformations of adulthood and motherhood using the vehicle of American Sign Language (ASL). Health care providers must be aware of the many forms of non-verbal communication, and understand that ASL is the primary language of the Deaf community.