Navigating Deafness and My Identity as a CODA

This three-week class will provide an overview of Deaf culture and identity in the United States. The first session will discuss Deaf history and the origin of sign language in the United States. We will review attitudes towards the Deaf, starting in biblical times to the present day. Our second session will describe the Deaf community and its language and culture. This class will detail the cultural norms of this group and how the language is used by the majority of Deaf individuals in the United States. Our final session will be a personal overview of the presenter’s life as a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults). Eiseman will share the differences that CODAs face today in Deaf families compared to her experiences in the 1940s and 1960s.