Underpinning research
Underpinning this new website are three studies which highlight the information needs of families raising a deaf child.
- “Parents of deaf children seeking information and support on the Internet: the Australian experience” by Ann Porter and Dr Sisira Edirippulige. This study looked at parents of deaf children who used the Internet and the information they were seeking and want available to them on the World Wide Web. Parents indicated their need for unbiased information which is evidence based in order for them to make decisions about important issues in raising their deaf child. It also indicated that parents continue to search for information through the growing years of their child including the post-school period. There is little online information available to families beyond diagnosis and engagement with early intervention services in Australia.
[Porter, A., & Edirippulige, S. (2007). Parents of Deaf Children Seeking Hearing Loss-Related Information on the Internet: the Australian Experience. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 12(4), 518-529]
- Secondly is the work by Professor Alys Young and her team at Manchester University - “Informed choice, deaf children and families – underpinning ideas and project development”. Information is one of the cornerstones in guiding and supporting families in their decision making process. “High quality information is a crucial component in supporting families to make informed choices about their deaf child. The information must be available, accessible, comprehensive, relevant and meaningful to those who will use it.”
[Young, A., Hunt, R., Carr, G., Hall, A.-M., McCracken, W., Skipp, A., et al. (2005). Informed Choice, Deaf Children and Families - Underpinning Ideas and Project Development. Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology, 3(3), 253-272.]
- And finally, a study by Dr Wendy Mitchell and Dr Patricia Sloper – “Information that informs rather than alienates families with disabled children: developing a model of good practice”. This study focussed upon written information and not information on the Internet. They conclude that “all written information should provide clear, easily understandable facts alongside informative background information and everyday tips and advice… “[P]arents’ desire for a combination of personal guidance and good quality information, whether in the form of in-depth booklets or shorter directories, is viewed as being of paramount importance and, furthermore, as having an important empowering potential.”
[Mitchell, W., & Sloper, P. (2002). Information that informs rather than alienates families with disabled children: developing a model of good practice. Health and Social Care in the Community, 10(2), 74-81.]
The goal of this new direction for Aussie Deaf Kids is to empower parents of deaf children by providing “available, accessible, comprehensive, relevant and meaningful” information from diagnosis through to the post-school period.