Child of deaf adult
Encyclopedia
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.
. Many CODAs receive enough exposure to spoken language models through extended family members, neighbors, classmates, 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.
CODA-USA CODA-USA
CODA-USA
. 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. 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.
"Mother_Father_Deaf" is a Yahoo Groups listserve exclusively for CODAs who are 18 years of age and older. It was established in 1999.
Deaf culture
Deaf culture describes the social beliefs, behaviors, art, literary traditions, history, values and shared institutions of communities that are affected by deafness and which use sign languages as the main means of communication. When used as a cultural label, the word deaf is often written with a...
and hearing
Hearing (person)
The term hearing or hearing person, from the perspective of mainstream English-language culture, refers to someone whose sense of hearing is at the medical norm. From this point of view, someone who is not fully hearing has a hearing impairment or is said to be hard of hearing or deaf. The...
cultures. The acronym KODA (Kid Of Deaf Adult) is sometimes used to refer to CODAs under the age of 18.
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 communityDeaf culture
Deaf culture describes the social beliefs, behaviors, art, literary traditions, history, values and shared institutions of communities that are affected by deafness and which use sign languages as the main means of communication. When used as a cultural label, the word deaf is often written with a...
. Many CODAs receive enough exposure to spoken language models through extended family members, neighbors, classmates, 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.
CODA-USA CODA-USA
CODA-USA
Support organizations
The organization CODA (Children of Deaf Adults) was established in 1983 by founder Millie Brother for hearing children of deaf adults in the United States. CODA began hosting annual conferences in 1986, in Fremont, CaliforniaFremont, California
Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
. 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. 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
Third culture kid
Third culture kid is a term coined in the early 1950s by American sociologist and anthropologist Ruth Hill Useem "to refer to the children who accompany their parents into another society". Other terms, such as trans-culture kid, are also used by some. More recently, American sociologist David C...
.
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, 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.
Notable CODAs
- Charlie BabbCharlie BabbFor the baseball player, see Charlie Babb Charles David Babb was a safety for the Miami Dolphins . He is a graduate of Charleston High School in Charleston, Missouri. Both of Charlie's parents are deaf, making for an interesting home life for Charlie as a child....
, pro-football player for the Miami Dolphins (1972–1979) - Alexander Graham BellAlexander Graham BellAlexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....
, whose mother, Eliza Grace Symonds Bell, was hard of hearing, and whose wife, Mabel Hubbard, became deaf at age 5 - Lon Chaney, Sr.Lon Chaney, Sr.Lon Chaney , nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema...
, American actor raised by deaf parents, which allowed him to communicate better in silent films - Kambri CrewsKambri CrewsKambri Crews is an American comedic storyteller based in New York City and author of Burn Down the Ground, a memoir of her chaotic childhood with deaf parents...
, 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 GodChildren of a Lesser GodChildren of a Lesser God is a 1986 American romantic drama film directed by Randa Haines and written by Hesper Anderson and Mark Medoff. An adaptation of Medoff's Tony Award-winning stage play of the same name, the film stars William Hurt and Marlee Matlin as two employees at a school for the deaf:...
- Louise FletcherLouise FletcherLouise Fletcher is an American actress best known for her role as Nurse Ratched in One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress, and as Kai Winn Adami in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She also guest starred on the science fiction television series Heroes...
, American Academy Award-winning actress for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's NestOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a 1975 American drama film directed by Miloš Forman and based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Ken Kesey.... - 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 GallaudetEdward Miner GallaudetEdward Miner Gallaudet , son of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Sophia Fowler Gallaudet, was a famous early educator of the deaf in Washington, DC...
, founder of Gallaudet UniversityGallaudet UniversityGallaudet University is a federally-chartered university for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing, located in the District of Columbia, U.S...
, son of Sophia Fowler GallaudetSophia Fowler GallaudetSophia Fowler Gallaudet , was the wife of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. As the founding matron of the school that became Gallaudet University, she played an important role in Deaf history, even playing a key role in lobbying Congressmen in the effort to establish Gallaudet...
and Thomas Hopkins GallaudetThomas Hopkins GallaudetReverend Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, LL.D., was a renowned American pioneer in the education of the Deaf. Along with Laurent Clerc and Mason Cogswell, he co-founded the first institution for the education of the Deaf in North America, and he became its first principal...
, founder of the American School for the DeafAmerican School for the DeafThe American School for the Deaf is the oldest permanent school for the deaf in the United States. It was founded April 15, 1817 in Hartford, Connecticut by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc and became a state-supported school in 1817.-History:...
, the first school for the deaf in the U.S. - Robert Gibson, professional wrestler
- Richard GriffithsRichard GriffithsRichard Griffiths, OBE is an English actor of stage, film and television. He has received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Featured Actor and a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor...
, English actor - Stefan LeForsStefan LeForsStefan Wayne LeFors is a former quarterback in American and Canadian football who is currently a high school coach. He was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
, former Canadian football quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue BombersWinnipeg Blue BombersThe Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
and former broadcaster for his alma mater, the University of LouisvilleLouisville Cardinals footballThe Louisville Cardinals football team represents the University of Louisville in college football as a member of the Big East Conference. Howard Schnellenberger started the program's rise to relevancy after winning the Miami Hurricanes' first national championship... - Costel PantilimonCostel PantilimonCostel Pantilimon is a Romanian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for the Premier League club Manchester City, on loan from Politehnica Timişoara.-Early career:...
, goalkeeper for Manchester CityManchester City F.C.Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
on loan from Politehnica TimişoaraPolitehnica TimisoaraPolitehnica Timişoara may refer to:*Polytechnic University of Timişoara, an education institution from Timişoara*FC Politehnica Timişoara, a football club from Timişoara...
and the Romania national football teamRomania national football teamThe Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that... - Anthony Rumolo, member of the Ontario Deaf Hockey Team
- Homer ThornberryHomer ThornberryWilliam Homer Thornberry was a United States Representative from the 10th congressional district of Texas from 1948 to 1963, and then was a federal judge.-Biography:...
, United States Representative from the 10th congressional district of TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
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 VerrarosJim VerrarosJames Conrad "Jim" Verraros is an American singer/entertainer and native of Crystal Lake, Illinois who is most notable for being one of the top 10 finalists in the first season of American Idol...
, American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
finalist, season 1 - Keith WannKeith WannKeith Wann is an American child of two deaf adults. He was born January 4, 1969. He has turned his life-long dealings with American Sign Language into a performance art show. He caters to all hearing, deaf, and hard-of-hearing audiences. In his act, Wann takes his audience on a "visual" journey...
, performer in a deaf comedic troupe, Iceworm, showcasing cultural and linguistic barriers between the deaf and hearing worlds
Fictional CODAs
- Gil GrissomGil GrissomDr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom, is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by William Petersen. Grissom was a forensic entomologist and the night-shift supervisor of the Clark County, Nevada CSI team, investigating crimes in and around the city of Las Vegas...
from the TV series CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer... - Abby SciutoAbby SciutoAbigail "Abby" Sciuto is a fictional character from the NCIS television series by CBS Television, and is portrayed by Pauley Perrette. Like Jethro Gibbs, Anthony DiNozzo and Donald Mallard, Abby was first introduced in the episodes "Ice Queen" and "Meltdown" in the television show JAG, and has...
from the TV series NCISNCIS (TV series)NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S... - Dicky Cobb from the TV series Reasonable DoubtsReasonable DoubtsReasonable Doubts is a police drama broadcast in the United States by NBC that ran from 1991 to 1993.-Synopsis:Reasonable Doubts is primarily about the working relationship between Assistant District Attorney Tess Kaufman , a prosecutor very sensitive to the rights of the accused, and...
- Lara in the 1996 German film Beyond Silence
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)
External links
- CODA International - Organization for hearing children of Deaf adults
- CODA Essay - Communication & parenting issues in families with deaf parents and hearing children. http://www.lifeprint.com