The impact of personal educational experiences and communication practices on the construction of deaf identity in Cyprus

THE AIM OF THE STUDY was to investigate for the first time the impact of educational experiences on the development of Cypriot deaf people's identity. To obtain relevant information in depth, semistructured interviews were conducted with 24 Cypriot deaf individuals ages 19-54 years who had graduated from a variety of school settings. The findings indicated that the type of school, and the academic and social experiences shared within the school between the participants and their classmates and teachers, played a crucial role in these deaf individuals' identity development. The findings have implications for curriculum development for deaf pupils, and for parents' counseling about their deaf children's development of "healthy" identities

DEAF CLUBS TODAY: DO THEY STILL HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY? THE CASES OF CYPRUS AND GREECE

THE PRESENT STUDY investigated the current functions of Deaf clubs in Cyprus and in Greece. The researchers conducted in-depth semistructured interviews with 24 Cypriot and 22 Greek deaf individuals ages 19-54 years. The researchers found that the Deaf clubs in both countries provide a gathering place for deaf people, organize social and sport activities, and promote their demands through legislation. In addition, Deaf clubs maintain and transmit Deaf culture and history to future generations, offer Deaf role models to young deaf children and their families, and provide Deaf awareness to hearing people (e.g., through sign languages classes). The study participants also stressed the role of Deaf clubs in deaf people's lives, unity, and prospects for future progress

Deaf and hearing individuals' beliefs about the capabilities of deaf people

The study explored the beliefs of 100 residents of Greece about the capabilities of deaf people living in that country. Participants included deaf adults who communicated in Greek Sign Language (GSL), deaf adults who communicated orally, hearing adults who attended GSL courses, and hearing adults who did not attend such courses. Beliefs were explored through the ODP (Opinions About Deaf People) scale (Berkay, Gardner, & Smith, 1995) and an open-ended interview. All participant groups viewed deaf people's capabilities positively, but Deaf users of GSL expressed the most positive beliefs. The findings suggest that less positive beliefs reflect diverse ideological views toward GSL and Deaf culture or an awareness of the obstacles preventing deaf people from developing their potential. The Deaf community's role in empowering deaf people and the role of GSL courses in promoting awareness regarding deaf people are also discussed

The role of educational experiences in the development of deaf identity

In this study, the analytical educational experiences of 25 deaf adults are explored in relation to their identity. The qualitative analysis indicated that the most critical educational experiences for the participants' identity concerned their interactions with hearing or deaf peers and their language of communication with their peers at school. The participants with a hearing identity attended general schools, where they interacted with hearing peers in Greek, whereas the participants with a Deaf identity attended schools for the deaf, where they interacted with deaf peers in Greek Sign Language. The participants with a bicultural identity attended general schools, where they interacted with hearing peers in Greek, but they also had the chance to meet Deaf role models outside school, which played a critical role in the development of their identity

The design of a software to enhance the reading comprehension skills of deaf students: An integration of multiple theoretical perspectives

In this paper we discuss the role of visual resources, namely Greek Sign Language videos, concept maps and pictures, and their allocation in a multimedia educational software designed to enhance reading comprehension in deaf children. First, we summarize research findings from three bodies of literature that informed the design of the software: reading comprehension and deaf children, the role of visual displays in reading comprehension and multimedia learning theories. In the following part, we describe the software "See and See" and explain how relevant theory and research regarding visual displays and multimedia learning has been applied to its design. Finally, we present a pilot evaluation of "See and See" regarding the students' interaction with the software and its role in reading comprehension. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

The communication experiences of adult deaf people within their family during childhood in Cyprus

This study investigates the personal communication memories and experiences of adult deaf people during their childhoods in their homes. In order to obtain relevant information in depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty four Cypriot deaf individuals between the ages of 19 to 54 years with different family and school backgrounds. Those who graduated from the school for the deaf, and used sign language from an early age had negative communication experiences at home. It was found that they could not achieve communication either in CSL or orally with their hearing parents (n = 12). On the other hand, those participants who graduated from general schools did not record any negative memories, since they could communicate from an early age with their hearing parents through speech (n = 10). Similarly, the two participants, who attended the school for the deaf, and signed with their family Deaf 1 members from an early age, described pleasant communication memories. This study suggests the importance of an early and mutual mode of communication between family members and the deaf children, regardless the communication modality to ensure pleasant family communication interchanges and experiences. This could be taken into consideration by people involved in deaf education, including service providers, educators, parents, and counselors. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Alternative routes toward literacy for individuals with deafblindness: The role of assistive technology

The aim of the current chapter is to describe alternative ways that can enhance literacy development for persons with deafblindness. The conventional concept of literacy, which concerns reading and writing, excludes persons with deafblindness from literacy experiences. Therefore, a broadened and more contemporary concept is supported, which incorporates communication. Within this broader concept, assistive technology can play an important role in the development of literacy and therefore facilitate the access of individuals who are deafblind in different domains of life. Furthermore, the paper emphasizes the critical role of teachers and the importance of training that will enable them to exploit assistive technology in order to enhance the literacy skills of persons who are deafblind. © Oxford University Press 2021

The role of self-advocacy in academic access for students who are deaf or hard of hearing in higher education

[No abstract available

The role of DAISY digital talking books in the education of individuals with blindness: A pilot study

The present study is characterized as pilot and investigates the impact that different aural renderings have on blind individuals’ comprehension. In specific, the present research attempts to compare the effective or active listening of participants with blindness when they use different media; that is, digital talking scripts through synthetic speech and DAISY standard respectively. Five participants with blindness were invited to listen to matched scripts through DAISY technology and screen reader software respectively. The results revealed significant differences in participants’ comprehension when they listened to digital talking scripts through DAISY standard and screen reader software. The participants applied more complex navigational routes and their responses towards comprehension questions were more correctly when the scripts were rendered through DAISY technology rather than through screen reader software. It is argued that DAISY technology could prove to be vital aid in blind individuals’ schooling and workplace. Finally, the results from this study support that further research has to be done especially on qualitative basis in order to document the parameters of the impact that aural technology, such as DAISY technology, have on blind students’ understanding and development of their literacy skills. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

Developing inclusive practices through collaborative action research

This paper highlights the framework and discusses the results of an action research network which aimed to promote academic access in two general educational settings within which a pupil with blindness and a deaf pupil were educated respectively. The persons involved in this collaborative scheme were general teachers, a school counsellor, academic staff and student teachers. The findings of the study indicate that the implementation of the action research network resulted in the development of inclusive and collaborative thinking and the adoption of relevant teaching practices which promoted the children's access to the curriculum and supported the teachers' and student teachers' professional development. The outcomes of this action research network raise concerns about the access and the status of membership of children with special needs in general educational classroom and provide insights for the pivotal role of action research in understanding educational contexts and situations from a number of different perspectives