Abstract
Anecdotal experiences show that the majority of hearing parents of deaf children do not learn American Sign Language (ASL). This results in severe, lifelong communication barriers between the parents and their children. Further, the deprivation of early language at home leads to serious negative consequences for the deaf individuals, including social isolation, impacted literacy development, poor academics, and fewer opportunities for a thriving, financially stable adult life. Hearing parents who learn sign language, the focus of this study, are vital to deaf children’s language acquisition, yet they remain a minority.
Using qualitative methods, this grounded theory study delved into when and why hearing parents learned sign language to communicate with their deaf and hard-of-hearing children. In addition to investigating the time frame and motivations, the study also explored barriers and facilitators to learning sign language for hearing parents. The sample consisted of ten hearing parents, from multiple regions in California, who learned sign language before their deaf children were age 5. These participants were interviewed and given surveys.
In regard to learning sign language, the study discovered a number of motivations, barriers, and facilitators influencing the interviewed participants. These parents were motivated by multiple needs, including the need to communicate with their children, teach their children, see their children succeed as adults, to be a good parent, and to have a relationship with their children. For the parents, barriers to learning sign language consisted of the need to make time, the learning curve of ASL itself, perceptions by others, and themselves. The parents had multiple facilitators supporting their sign language acquisition, from people in their lives to internal strengths such as grit and faith.
Upon the conclusion of the study, a new theory was developed: Parent Acceptance Theory (PAT). This theory espouses that the best way for parents to overcome barriers, and subsequently utilize resources or support networks they need the most, is to first accept their children’s unique circumstances. In the case of this study’s participants, PAT shows that when the parents accept their children’s deafness, they are able to learn sign language and embrace the cultural and linguistical richness of Deaf culture and American Sign Language. This framework can also be applied to parents of children with different needs, including children with vision loss, autism, or experiencing chronic illnesses. This dissertation closed with recommendations for key stakeholders including medical professionals and educational leaders.