Hearing you: The Experiences of Deaf People in Hearing Families and its Effects on their Social Functioning

Written by Clarissa Choo Kai Li

Family is a crucial site of socialisation for the individual, where one first learns how to build relationships with others, and where cultural and societal values are imparted. However, most families of deaf individuals in Singapore do not know Sign Language, despite it being the preferred mode of communication for most deaf individuals. The language barrier between hearing parents and deaf children thus disrupts this socialisation process.

Through semi-structured interviews, the findings reflected that most deaf individuals experience poor communication with their families. This impacts family relationships negatively, especially in the felt exclusion by deaf individuals. Other contributing factors to poor relationships include 1) families viewing the deaf individual as less capable because of their disability and 2) a lack of effort to understand or accept the world and the experiences of the deaf individual. Deaf individuals are very comfortable socially, more so than in their families, but may not thoroughly understand accepted societal norms and values because of their weak family relationships.

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