A Pathfinder for Hearing Parents of Deaf Children
Introduction

            Whether your child was born with a hearing impairment or acquired a hearing loss after birth, this discovery can be rather shocking and disconcerting for most families. Most people are not familiar with hearing loss, which therefore causes parents to feel very helpless regarding what to do for their child. While the discovery of a hearing loss can seemingly shatter a parent’s dream for their child, this need not be the case. Through education and awareness of hearing loss, parents can deal with the loss they feel and help their child succeed.

            This pathfinder was designed to help orient hearing parents to the world of hearing loss. It was intended to provide a general background and overview regarding issues associated with hearing loss, particularly focusing on family, education, communication, and resources. It was meant to help dispel the myths and misconceptions about hearing loss that are held by many hearing people. It was not meant to advocate any particular beliefs: it offers a range of opinions on both sides of any issue. This will hopefully serve to provide a knowledge base for parents in order to help guide their decisions. Hopefully, it will instill in parents that hearing loss does not necessarily equal a disability.

Scope

            Although the resources outlined in this pathfinder may discuss many issues, it was not the intent of this pathfinder to specifically address certain issues. For example, this pathfinder was not intended to address the communication debate over whether children with hearing loss should learn to sign or speak. It was not intended to advocate one form of signed communication over another. It will not tell you whether or not your child should receive a cochlear implant. It does not focus on hearing loss in conjunction with other disabilities. It was not meant as a guide on how to raise your deaf child. It was meant to provide information and encouragement.

            Most of the works in this pathfinder can be found in Davis Library on the campus of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Others can be found at the Chapel Hill Public Library. Several can be accessed online through the libraries' websites. Since many of the materials focus on the science of hearing loss and the latest trends in dealing with deafness, a majority of the materials were published within the last ten years in order to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information.

Content

Browsing Areas and Library of Congress Subject Headings
Books
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Indexes and Abstracts
Articles
Websites



Created by Sarah Matusz
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Information and Library Science
Last Updated December 2003