Langue des signes et parentalité: enjeux linguistiques et identitaires

Receiving their child’s hearing loss diagnosis can render parents in a state of shock, sending them suddenly to a world that is completely unknown (Jackson et al., 2004). In most cases, the parents are hearing persons and know very little about deafness; therefore, they feel lost in this new world (Clerebaut, 2005). During the first months, these parents are put into contact with a multitude of health professionals (audiologists, speech therapists, oto-rhino-laryngologists, etc). In addition, they will need to decide on a method of communication for their child. It is with the help of health, re-adaptation and education professionals that the parents will choose the path that they think is the most appropriate for their deaf child (Dubuisson & Grimard, 2006). The families of deaf children are often torn, having to accept that their child is different whilst having to find a solution to the communication difficulties. A certain reflection period is therefore necessary in order for them to make the necessary and appropriate decisions with regards to the re-adaptation process for their child. The option of sign language communication is only rarely considered by parents as it goes against a collective norm related to the cultural process of language transmission (Dalle-Nazebi, 2014). Whether their decision tends towards oral communication or sign language, the child’s deafness becomes the family’s focal point and disrupts its stability (Jackson et al., 2010). A study carried out with Canadian parents shows that the sign language option is often considered by these same parents as a source of awkwardness, that can be viewed as an obstacle to their commitment. From a methodological point of view, this article will present a qualitative study of 52 parents of deaf children in Canada and look into the identity and language challenges perceived by these parents when it comes to incorporating a sign language within the family environment. Secondly, we will detail a few methodological points in order to set the context for the data and analysis described in this article. We will thereafter focus on how the discovery of deafness can impact the family life and parental commitment. Finally, we will see that the idea of including the sign language within the family environment can trigger, for the parents, different feelings with regards to language and identity transmission: incompetence, misunderstanding and concern.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND

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