Oya Ataman WFD Istanbul 2015

Growing Up in the Deaf Community:

Coda, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Childhoods as a

Third Culture Kid Experience

www.signsandwords.com

Overview

1.  The TCK Model

2.  Codas as TCKs

3.  And what about everyone else in the Deaf Community: Deaf Codas, Deaf cildren of hearing adults, Hard of Hearing children

4.  The New Normal: The benefits of TCK as one possible common paradigm

Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience WFD Istanbul 2015, Oya Ataman

TCK: Original Definition

„A Third Culture Kid (TCK) is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents‘ culture. The TCK frequently builds relationships to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture may be assimilated into the TCK‘s life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar background.“ (2008, 13)

Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience WFD Istanbul 2015, Oya Ataman

1. The TCK Model

Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience WFD Istanbul 2015, Oya Ataman

1. The TCK Model

Interstices Coda Culture Third Culture

What interculturally mobile childhoods have in common

2. CODAs as TCKs

Deaf Culture

First Community

Hearing Culture Second Culture

Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience WFD Istanbul 2015, Oya Ataman

“A cross-cultural kid (CCK) is a person who is living or has lived in – or meaningfully interacted with - two or more cultural environments for a significant period of time during childhood (up to age 18).” 2008, 31

TCKs from Global Elite (1996) to Cross Cultural Kids (2008)

Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience WFD Istanbul 2015, Oya Ataman

1. The TCK Model

Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience WFD Istanbul 2015, Oya Ataman

2. Codas as TCKs

Codas bimodality

Deaf world Global Deaf identity invisible

Many Kodas think they have been adopted

Deaf culture is a colonized culture

Immigrants’ Codas

Deaf refugees’ Codas Codas in school: Cultural Commuters

Bi/Multiracial Codas

At least two cultures in family

Bi/Multicultural Codas

Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience WFD Istanbul 2015, Oya Ataman

2. Codas as TCKs

Terminal Uniqueness

Pre-established identity categories foreclose a both hearing and Deaf identity. Experience of cultural marginality.

Encapsulated marginality: Inauthentic sense of self. Terminal uniqueness (Bennett) makes it difficult to relate to others.

Constructive marginality or „dynamic in-betweenness“ (Yoshikawa) : Integrated, multi-cultural sense of self. Both-and identity. Understanding and active use of owned cultures. Finding a peer group: TCK or CODA.

However, peer-groups can also promote terminal uniqueness. Once the identity as a Coda is embraced, how dynamic are relations to the Deaf and hearing world?

Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience WFD Istanbul 2015, Oya Ataman

2. Codas as TCKs

3. And what about everyone else in the Deaf Community: Deaf Codas, Deaf children of hearing adults, Hard-of-

Hearing children?

• Elite • Interpret for and help their parents like immigrant children • School cultural commute • Immersed in Global Deaf Community • Minority Culture • Invisible cultural difference

Deaf Children Of Deaf Adults

Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience WFD Istanbul 2015, Oya Ataman

3. And what about everyone else?

• Other than parents • Isolation by refusing them SL and Deaf culture • School cultural commute • Immersed in Global Deaf Community • Minority Culture • Invisible cultural difference

Deaf Children Of Hearing Adults

Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience WFD Istanbul 2015, Oya Ataman

3. And what about everyone else?

• Other than parents • No pre-established identity, may pass as deaf and hearing • Interpret for and help their parents like immigrant children • School cultural commute • Invisible cultural difference

Hard-of-Hearing Kids

Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience WFD Istanbul 2015, Oya Ataman

3. And what about everyone else?

If we see the children of the Deaf community as cultural workers, they have alot in common. All of them have cross-cultural childhoods.

In our globalized society, more and more children are growing up within different cultures. CCKs, as van Reken remarks, are the „New Normal.“ (2008, 165)

Conclusion

Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience WFD Istanbul 2015, Oya Ataman

3. And what about everyone else?

Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience WFD Istanbul 2015, Oya Ataman

3. And what about everyone else?

Deaf Culture Kids bimodality and disability

4. The New Normal: The benefits of the TCK model

as one possible common paradigm

The social environment of Deaf Culture Kids views them as disabled rather than multi-cultural and tends to pathologize their personalities. The TCK framework highlights their skills and offers strategies and a forum to develop them.

CCKs run into problems and develop skills and strategies to cope with cultural paradox and the on-going series of (mini-) culture shocks in their lives. Van Reken sketches a typical personality profile, outlining developmental issues and listing benefits-and-challenges. She also pinpoints educational needs.

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Cultural Balance and Transitional Cycle

Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience WFD Istanbul 2015, Oya Ataman

4. The New Normal

Less prejudice: DCKs learn from relatives and friends of diverse backgrounds that people are equal, no matter what their ethnicity, origin or abilities are and „. . . that there is always a reason behind anyone‘s behavior – no matter how mystifying it appears – and may be mor patient than others might be in a particular situation to try to understand what is going on.“ (2008, 105)

More prejudice: DCKs can adopt prejudices from their cultures, especially since there is a large status differential involved. If Deaf adults constantly speak poorly of the hearing, or vice versa, in their presence, DCKs „. . . can pick up the same disdain and thereby waste one of the richest parts of their heritage“. (2008, 106)

Benefits-and-Challenges: The Example of Prejudice

Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience WFD Istanbul 2015, Oya Ataman

4. The New Normal

Each transition can be a culture shock. With each transition, there is a gain, but also a loss. The Transitional Cycle can make you understand the transition in such a way that the gain is celebrated and the loss is mourned. Emotions involved can be lived consciously instead of piling up unresolved. The process of transition becomes something you actively shape.

The Transitional Cycle

Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience WFD Istanbul 2015, Oya Ataman

4. The New Normal

Emotional comfort as part of a new community. Adapt and accept the embeddedness.

Involvement

Entry

Transition

Reinvolvement

A present, stable, irrevocable place in society. Accept the involvement.

Inner Separation. Plan and enjoy keeping relationships and roles going. Accept and express sadness, othrewise it will show up during the next transition. Before leaving, come clean with people. Admit that you expect things. Create rituals of appreciation.

Chaos. Have hope and keep up spirituality.

Become a part of a new society. Get a mentor‘s help.

Leaving

Transitional Cycle

4. The New Normal

Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience WFD Istanbul 2015, Oya Ataman

Please share your questions opinions on my blog. Thank you for your attention!

www.codaplus.wordpress.com

Growing Up in the Deaf Community: Coda, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Childhoods as a Third Culture Kid Experience WFD Istanbul 2015, Oya Ataman

References

Bennett, Janet. Education for the Intercultural Experience. E. Michael Paige, ed., Intercultural Press. Yarmouth, Maine. 1993.

Pollock, David C., Ruth van Reken und Georg Pflüger. Third Culture Kids: Aufwachsen in mehreren Kulturen. Marburg: Francke, 2003.

Pollock, David C. und Ruth van Reken. Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds. Zweite Ausgabe. Boston: Nicholas Beatley Publishing, 2009.

Sachetti, Barbara F. Phoenix Rising: A Question of Cultural Identity. Transition Dynamics. A consultancy serving the international expatriate and repatriate community. http://www.transition-dynamics.com/phoenix.html

Van Reken, Ruth. “Who Am I, Really? Redifining Identity in a Culturally Complex World.” Intercultural Management Quarterly. Spring 2012, p. 9-11,23.

Begriffs(ver)klärung CCK

Multikulturell: Das Nebeneinander von unterschiedlichen Kulturen unterschiedlichen Status, die miteinander in Oberflächlichem Kontakt stehen.

Cross-Cultural (Kulturübergreifend): Distanzierte und kontrastiv vergleichende Betrachtung völlig unterschiedlicher Kulturen mit all ihren jeweiligen Eigenheiten. Die Mitglieder haben Interesse an einander und beeinflussen sich gegenseitig.

Interkulturell: Wechselseitig echte Beziehungen zwischen Mitgliedern der Kulturen, die alle Beteiligten verändert.

Transkulturell: Universale Ideen, deren Aspekte in allen Kulturen präsent sind. Keine (oder eher nicht relevante) kulturellen Unterschiede zwischen den Mitgliedern.