Study of hearing siblings

A study of hearing adult siblings has revealed much that is positive, as they recall their childhood with a Deaf brother or sister.

Working as a teacher of the Deaf in 1998, Liz Ray noticed how the hearing siblings of her Deaf preschool students could switch seamlessly from speaking to signing.  ‘I was amazed at how they could do that – and I wondered what other impact there was.’

Little research exists on the experiences of the brothers and sisters of hard of hearing children. Hoping she might discover insights that could help parents and teachers, in 2011 Liz embarked on a PhD at the University of Canterbury. Her research centered on six case studies with hearing siblings, and questionnaires for six resource teachers and six advisers. She looked at the experiences of hearing siblings, including society’s view of deafness, prejudice at school and in the community, and needing to ‘grow up’ earlier than their peers. The retrospective study, a first for New Zealand, was based on the siblings’ remembered experiences.  All were adults aged 18 to 65 and their Deaf siblings were either New Zealand Sign Language users or had cochlear implants.

All said that communication at home was not a major issue during childhood, and far from being isolated, all the families had a connection with the Deaf community. Some parents taught sign language at home, some set up classes in a local hall, some became leaders in the sector.  

None of the participants recalled comparing themselves with other families, or feeling jealous of the time their parents spent with the Deaf child. Growing up, there was a marked gender difference: girls were far more likely to take on, and be given, caregiving roles than boys. Some of the siblings chose related careers, such as being NZSL interpreters.    

As teenagers, they did face challenges. One woman said she resented the family moving to Christchurch for schooling and employment for her Deaf siblings, but looking back it was what she would have done as a parent.

Another participant learned that his sister had said, ‘My brother doesn’t like me.’ He realised he needed to change in order to develop a stronger relationship with his sister, and as a result made the commitment to train as an interpreter.
 
The world of the family was often very different from that of the school and society. ‘When you stepped outside the family, suddenly society was saying, “Your brother is disabled”,’ Liz says. One woman recalled being shunned and branded ‘weird’ by her peers after they met her Deaf brother.  She and the other hearing siblings soon learned to choose their friends wisely. However, some participants had good experiences in the mainstream. One recalled teachers making good use of assistive devices and striving to include their Deaf sibling.

Liz, who is a resource teacher of the Deaf in Nelson and employed by Van Asch Deaf Education Centre, says hearing siblings play a crucial role in the lives of their Deaf siblings, whether as a mentor, communicator, advocate or lifelong friend.  The findings suggest that though society is moving in the right direction, there is still much that can be learned from the attitude of ‘normalcy’ and acceptance that hearing siblings and their parents actively foster within their families. 

Liz is sharing her findings with parents, resource teachers, advisers on Deaf children and other colleagues in the field of Deaf education. She hopes the study will help to foster a more collaborative, family-centered approach to individual education planning meetings, where parents and siblings who know and understand the Deaf child best, feel fully included.