View the YouTube video above to learn about CODAs through a woman's firsthand experience.
Boudreau, E., & Ruggero, C. (2022). The complexity of the CODA experience. Harvard Graduate School of Education. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/22/08/complexity-coda-experience
What is a CODA?
A CODA is an individual who identifies as having one or more parents who are D/deaf. Having deaf parents often results in both a socially and linguistically unique environment that can have various effects on their development, roles, and interactions with their families and others in society.
How common are CODAs?
It is estimated that about half a million Americans are hearing children of one or more deaf parents (Frank, 2019).
When does a person identify as 'deaf'? And when do they define as 'Deaf'?
Physiologically, deafness is defined as "a loss of hearing sufficiently severe to render an understanding of conversational speech impossible in most situations, with or without a hearing aid" (Stebnicki, 1999). Usually, individuals who identify as deaf use a physiological definition.
However, most 'Deaf' (as opposed to 'deaf') individuals define deafness culturally, not physiologically.
Cultural deafness is defined as identifying and interacting with Deaf culture. These individuals share cultural membership and experiences (Stebnicki, 1999).
Do deaf parents usually have deaf children, or are many of them CODAs?
It is much more typical for deaf parents to have hearing children than it is for deaf parents to have children who are also deaf. Approximately 90% of deaf Americans who have children have children who are able to hear (Frank, 2019).