Between Two Worlds: Identity Development of Children of Deaf Adults (CODAs)

In this article, it is aimed to examine and analyze the development of the CODA (Children of Deaf Adults) identity of the hearing children of deaf adults as a result of their family and communication experiences. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews with 4 female and 7 male CODA were conducted. Findings in interviews were collected under the sub-categories of “Social Differentiation and Biculturalism”, “Sign Language” and “Parental Responsibility and Role Reversal” with the theme, “CODA Identity”, which includes the experiences that shape CODA identity development. As a result of the research, it was found that CODAs followed three patterns in the development of CODA identity: Positioning themselves between two cultures and developing a bicultural identity; identifying themselves by the deaf culture and identification with the deaf identity; and identifying themselves as CODAs and accepting CODA identity as a social group identity