Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Deaf Or Hearing: A Hearing Impaired Individual’S Navigation Between Two Worlds, Brittany Nicole Lash

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

identity play an important role in how they communicate and interact with other individuals. One group in which identity construction and navigation is a difficult process is the hearing impaired population. In an effort to understand how these individuals construct their identity and navigate their hearing impairment, this study utilizes Communication Theory of Identity. Through the use of interactive interviews, the researcher was able to examine how 11 participants manage their identity as hearing impaired individuals. The interviews provided insight into the four layers of identity proposed by CTI – personal, relational, enacted, and communal – in the hearing impaired …