Deafened People: Adjustment and Support

263 Pages·2000·11.38 MB·English

by  Miguel Aguayo

DEAFENED PEOPLE:
ADJUSTMENT AND SUPPORT
It is estimated that there are currently 1.9 million deafened people liv-
ing in North America - individuals who could once hear naturally or
with amplification but have become deaf and are now unable to rely
on hearing to comprehend spoken information. Despite this vast num-
ber, until now there have been few books that specifically address the
process of adjustment to, and acceptance of, deafness as an adult.
Kathryn Woodcock and Miguel Aguayo have addressed that situation
with their unique look at deafness in Deafened People: Adjustment and
Support.
The authors demonstrate that deafness is not merely a medical con-
dition; it is a social disability that affects the individual, the family, the
social circle, and the work group. By describing the psychosocial expe-
rience of acquired deafness as a process of adjustment, Woodcock and
Aguayo demonstrate that acceptance of deafness is a process with
practical, social, and emotional implications. To assist in that process,
the authors have provided a guide to self-help techniques of proven
value to deafened people.
Drawing on their own experiences as deaf professionals, Woodcock
and Aguayo explore such questions as how deafness occurs, how rela-
tionships (professional and personal) can be affected by progressive
deafness, and how and where to find peer support. Section 1 describes
the process of adjustment, while Section 2 offers a practical guide to a
successful method of establishing a self-help support network, with
reference to such organizations as the Association of Late-Deafened
Adults. Written in a lively, engaging style, the book combines medical
background, professional advice, information on resources, and per-
sonal examples. Deafened People: Adjustment and Support will be invalu-
able for medical professionals and lay readers alike.
KATHRYN WOODCOCK is Associate Professor in the School of Occupa-
tional and Public Health at Ryerson Polytechnic University.
MIGUEL AGUAYO is a registered social worker specializing in deafness -
particularly acquired deafness - and other disabilities. A consultant to
social service agencies on information technology and organizational
change, he is currently a coordinator for the Ontario March of Dimes.
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Deafened People
Adjustment and Support
KATHRYN WOODCOCK
MIGUEL AGUAYO
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS
Toronto Buffalo London
www.utppublishing.com
Kathryn Woodcock and Miguel Aguayo 2000
Toronto Buffalo London
Printed in Canada
ISBN 0-8020-4845-5 (cloth)
ISBN 0-8020-8373-0 (paper)
Printed on acid-free paper
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
Woodcock, Kathryn Lee, 1956-
Deafened people : adjustment and support
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8020-4845-5 (bound) ISBN 0-8020-8373-0 (pbk.)
1. Deaf. 2. Postlingual deafness. 3. Deaf - Services for.
4. Self-help techniques. I. Aguayo, Miguel Oswald. II. Title.
HV2380.W66 2000 362.4'2 COO-931736-8
The University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial assistance
to its publishing program of the Canada Council for the Arts and the
Ontario Arts Council.
University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial support for its
publishing activities of the Government of Canada through the Book
Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP).
To Ruby
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Contents
Preface ix
Part One: Adjustment 1
1. About Late Deafness 3
2. Adjustment to Deafness 34
3. Effect on Relationships 65
4. Professional Help 90
Part Two: Support 141
5. Peer Help 143
6. Self-Help 161
7. Self-Help Leader's Preparation 173
8. Self-Help Rules 183
9. Self-Help Session Procedure 195
10. Helping Handwriting 206
viii Contents
Notes 219
References 229
Index 235
Preface
This book about deafened adults discusses acquired deafness
(adventitious deafness, late deafness) from a new perspective:
adjustment. Other books have described how deafness disrupts
and perhaps even devastates the lives of adults who acquire the
condition, but few have discussed the lengthy process of adjust-
ment except in the form of biographies - and biographies, by
their nature, are about people who are exceptional rather than
typical. Yes, acquired deafness hinders relationships. Yes, those
who acquire deafness are caught between the hearing and deaf
worlds. Yet somehow, most people survive. The struggle, pro-
tracted and arduous though it may be, eventually resolves itself
in some degree of adjustment. That adjustment might be easier,
and perhaps a little more successful, if more guidance was avail-
able for deafened adults and for professionals. While we think
our contribution makes a good start, we hope to see more
research into specific supports for improved emotional adjust-
ment. Till now, there has been too narrow an emphasis on the
vocational adaptation and aural rehabilitation of this population.
In this book, we describe acquired deafness and its impact,
and present our model of the adjustment process. We then out-
line different sources of help: professional help, peer help, and
the most important - self-help. Although self-help has been a
cornerstone of deafened adults' associations, there has not been
a printed reference that deafened adults can consult to learn
how to set up self-help support groups. The peer help and self-