Growing up deaf in Ipoh: Perspectives of Malaysian Chinese parent and deaf adult child

Lee, Wan Ying (2024) Growing up deaf in Ipoh: Perspectives of Malaysian Chinese parent and deaf adult child. PhD thesis, UTAR.

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Abstract

In Malaysia, 0.1% of the population has hearing impairment. Yet, due to its often unseen complexity, the needs of the deaf person are easily overlooked. Without proper interventions, deaf individuals may be left vulnerable to language deprivation, delayed development, and mental health issues. In Malaysia's multilingual context, communication interventions are crucial for the development of deaf children, and parents and support systems play an important role in mitigating the challenges they face. Therefore, this research aims to explore the experiences of the deaf person, their parents, and the accessibility to the support system in Malaysia. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory, Tajfel’s social identity theory, and Glickman’s deaf identity theory were used to frame this research to understand how the unique context of Ipoh impacted the deaf person and his identity. Through purposive and snowball sampling, six pairs of deaf adults (aged 20-37) and their parents were recruited as participants. An ethnographic approach was adopted, using participant observations and in-depth interviews to explore their experiences. The thematic analysis revealed key themes: deaf participants’ navigation between hearing and deaf communities, highlighting a fluid identity (being as I am and connecting according to needs), parents’ emotional coping, perception of normality, and roles in supporting their deaf child. Additionally, the analysis identified themes within the support system, including awareness of needs, deaf-friendly communication, support for financial independence, essential education, and the necessity for better policy implementations. Results also revealed that parents depended on the government’s resources, which were biased toward the welfare and medical models despite policies rooted in the social model approach. There was an apparent lack of Malaysian Sign Language (BIM) interventions across all sections. These findings emphasise the need for tailored interventions for deaf children and awareness campaigns about deafness and BIM to educate stakeholders and members of society. Future research is recommended to explore the urban Malaysian Deaf community and the educational system’s influence on deaf identity development.

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