Social opportunities and challenges of the deaf: a Case study of the Adigrat school for the deaf in Eastern zone of Tigray Ethiopia
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Date
2002-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The research is qualitative case study, which aims at describing and analyzing the social
opportunities and challenges of the deaf in Adigrat School for the Deaf. Qualitative research method
is employed so as to understand the situation in the setting.
The units of the study (cases) comprised of six deaf students from grade six, and
the cases were three males and three females. Their age ranged from 15-18 years
old. All the cases were profoundly deaf: two females were profound prelingually
deaf, one male and three females were profoundly postlingual deaf. The sample
size covers 40 percent of the population. Moreover, key- informants such, those
mothers of the cases, and Home Room Teachers, Unit leader as well as the School
Head Teacher were also involved.
The interview schedule, observation guide, as well as informal discussion were
employed to collect the data. Unstructured questions that allowed the researcher
greater latitude in asking broad questions were constructed. The observation guide
was arranged and the checklist was also presented. Furthermore, documents that
comprised background of the school and that of the students; and the student’s file
that had records of two full academic years and the first semester performances of
the current academic year were also considered. In order to collect qualitatively
significant data during the interview session, tape recorder was also used. Thus,
based on the information obtained the analysis was performed in two stages: the
individual-case analysis, and cross-case analysis.
The findings of the study reveal that the deaf children’s decreased role-taking ability in social
interaction emanates from lack of spoken language and withhold appropriate opportunity to
socialization by significant others. The deaf children’s impression of the hearing discloses that the
hearing persons have negative attitude towards the deaf. On the other hand, the finding discloses that
there is inclination of the deaf towards their deaf peers at school and wide opportunity for their social
interaction using their own sign language. The findings further reveal that the deaf children have
negative evaluation of themselves, and negatively evaluated by hearing persons as attributed to their
inability to have adequate interaction, thereby develop feelings of inferiority, loneliness, frustration
and as they are not accepted by hearing persons. There are also personality characteristics attributed
to deafness with social immaturity: a feeling of suggestibility, easily irritability, impulsivity, and
social isolation. The findings also indicate that the female deaf students appeared to be engaged in
fatiguing routine household tasks. In addition, loose parent- school- interaction is revealed.
viFurthermore, based on the findings, the need to create the possibilities of conducive and proper social
environment that could promote interaction between both the deaf and the hearing are recommended
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Keywords
Adigrat school for the deaf