Lived Experience: Deaf Professionals' Stories of Resilience and Risks

Abstract

Navigating a phonocentric and audistic society can be challenging for Deaf people, yet some of them adapt and exhibit resilience. Although there is a plethora of resilience studies, Deaf people's narratives are largely unexplored. This phenomenological study explored from a Deaf cultural-linguistic lens 10 Deaf professionals who use American Sign Language in the United States and their observation of other Deaf people's lived experience. The study focused particularly on their experiences in overcoming significant barriers in their lives and the factors that strengthen Deaf people's resilience. Based on qualitative data gathered from narrative interviews, three main themes emerged from this study: (a) Barriers to Incidental Learning: The Dinner Table Syndrome; (b) Importance of Family Involvement; and (c) Protective Role of the Deaf Community as a Second Family. The stories in this study highlight how Deaf professionals and other Deaf people navigate barriers and manifest resilience.