Reflection Paper — CODA Panel: Deaf & Signing Families (March 20, 2025)

Donna Melena
SOCI-240 — Deaf and DeafBlind Communities and Spaces
Aimee Whyte | Spring 2025

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Introduction: Why I Chose This Presentation

On March 20, 2025, our class was privileged to attend a powerful CODA Panel in SDC 1300, titled “Deaf & Signing Families.” From the moment the panel began, I felt drawn in. As someone deeply connected to Deaf culture and raised in a Deaf family, this presentation felt personal. Yet, even with my background, the unique experiences shared by the CODAs (Children of Deaf Adults) expanded my perspective. I chose this presentation because it brought forward voices that often occupy a complex space between Deaf and hearing worlds. This space resonated with my experiences navigating layered identities.

What stood out to me most was the raw honesty and vulnerability expressed by each panelist. They spoke about growing up balancing responsibilities, being language brokers, and experiencing deep love for Deaf culture while dealing with moments of frustration, misunderstanding, or external judgment. Their words felt like a bridge between worlds — something I deeply appreciated.

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Insights and Key Takeaways

The CODA panel offered numerous insights that reshaped and deepened my understanding of Deaf cultures, communities, and languages:

1. CODA Identity is Complex and Nuanced
While CODAs are fluent in ASL and deeply embedded in Deaf culture, many expressed feeling “in-between” — not fully Deaf, but not fully part of the hearing world either. They often had to interpret or advocate from a very young age, which shaped them into culturally and linguistically flexible individuals. One panelist shared how exhausting yet rewarding it was to “always explain or clarify” for hearing people, a reminder of the invisible labor CODAs often shoulder.

2. Deaf Families are Rich with Love and Pride
All the panelists reinforced how much they cherished being raised in Deaf families. Despite societal stigmas or hearing people’s misconceptions, they described their homes as vibrant, expressive, and deeply connected. Their stories reminded me of our readings on Deaf Community Cultural Wealth, especially the idea that Deaf spaces and relationships foster unique forms of linguistic, familial, and resistant capital.

3. The Importance of Storytelling and Visibility
Hearing the CODAs share personal narratives highlighted the importance of storytelling in bridging communities. One panelist noted how rare it was for CODA voices to be centered and how healing it felt to share experiences with peers and students. This taught me that storytelling is a powerful act of resistance and advocacy, reinforcing Deaf culture’s commitment to communal sharing and visual communication.

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Challenging Assumptions and Deepening Knowledge

Before this presentation, I thought of CODAs primarily as fluent signers who seamlessly navigate between the Deaf and hearing worlds. While they certainly are talented in bridging communication gaps, I had not considered how emotionally and socially complex this role could be. The CODA panel challenged my assumption that being bilingual and bicultural is purely a privilege. Instead, I now understand the duality and at times, the burden, of living between two worlds.

This reinforced what we learned earlier in the semester about intersectionality and Deaf identities — that no two experiences are alike, and each person’s cultural lens is shaped by layered factors like family roles, hearing status, race, and language use.

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Explaining to Someone Unfamiliar with Deaf Culture

If I were to explain this experience to someone unfamiliar with Deaf culture, I would emphasize three key points:

1. Deaf Families are Complete and Dynamic
Despite common stereotypes, Deaf families are whole and vibrant. The CODAs shared how expressive, visual, and inclusive their childhood homes were. Deaf culture is not a deficit, but a source of pride and joy.

2. CODAs’ Experience Unique Dualities
Growing up as cultural and linguistic mediators, CODAs experience life through multiple lenses. They navigate between worlds, advocating for their families in hearing spaces and celebrating Deaf culture at home.

3. Sharing Stories Builds Understanding
The CODAs share their journeys to help break down barriers and promote awareness. Their reflections invite us to respect the rich diversity within the broader Deaf community, including those in between like themselves.

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Conclusion

The CODA panel was a powerful reminder that the Deaf community is not homogeneous. Each story shared revealed different ways Deaf and signing families create meaning, foster resilience, and pass on cultural wealth. As someone who deeply values Deaf culture and strives to understand all its dimensions, I walked away from this presentation with a whole heart and an expanded mind. It was one of the most moving and impactful presentations this semester, and I am grateful to have been part of that moment.

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References

• Deaf Community Cultural Wealth (Holcomb, 2023; Johnson et al., 2020)
  
• Intersectionality and layered identities (Holcomb, 2023)
  
• Storytelling and collective meaning-making in Deaf cultures (Week 7 PPT)
  

Importance of visibility and resisting marginalization (DeafBlind & CODA narratives)

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