Our resources page is a place to find information about both KODA and CODA organizations, KODA camps, ect. Also, you can take a look at some great role models for the koda(s) in your family by checking out our “Kodas in the Spotlight” section. Check out some of the more relevant research related to kodas/codas, and our multilingual/multicultural/bimodal experience.
Resources for Parents:
There are camp programs and koda family events all over the world! For families interested in locating regional events and programs, we’ve compiled a list of user submitted content about camps and organizations. Click the image to check them out.
Educational resources for parents, developed with community members by the KODAheart team! Click the image to learn more.
Kodas and codas have done some very remarkable things. The Koda Spotlight section is meant to illuminate some of these accomplishments and contributions! Click the image to see a full list.
Following the “10 list” format, these pieces offer advice, ideas, activities, and information about koda-deaf families! Click the image to see a compilation of past lists!
Family Fun Night activities are designed to bring koda-deaf families together for fun language and social engagement! Click the image for more ideas for planning your next family event!
Research:
We are consistently working to gather current information to about Codas/Kodas and their families. Check back as we will be updating this page often!
Family Relationship Studies:
- Bishop, Michele and Sherry Hicks. Hearing, Mother Father Deaf
- Solomon, Andrew. Far from the Tree; Parents, Children and the Search for Identity
- Preston, Paul. Mother Father Deaf; Living Between Sound and Silence
- West, Donna. Signs of Hope – Deafhearing Family Life
Autobiographies:
Coda autobiographies may provide a useful insight for Deaf parents into the experiences of their Koda children. Reading them together can be a platform for opening up discussion on difficult subjects and tensions that parents and children may experience. A number have been published in recent years and they have been organized below.
- Abrams, Charlotte. The Silents.
- Brown, Maxine Childress. On the Beat of Truth: A hearing daughter’s stories of her black deaf parents
- Crews, Kambry. Burn Down the Ground
- Crowe, Doris I. Dummy’s Little Girl
- Davis, Lennard J. My Sense of Silence
- Miller, RH. Deaf Hearing Boy
- Moser, Randy. I Can’t Hear the Fish; But I Can See the Water
- Mosley-Hall, Clara Jean, Paris in America; A Deaf Nanticoke Shoemaker and his Daughter
- Reppert, Ruth A. Adventures of a CODA
- Sidransky, Ruth. In Silence; Growing Up Hearing in a Deaf World
- Sorenson, David. Between Two Worlds; My Life as a Child of Deaf Adults
- Strenkowski, Peg. Silent Journey; Life Within a Deaf Family
- Torres, Andres. Signing in Puerto Rican: A Hearing Son and his Deaf Family
- Uhlberg, Myron. Hands of My Father: A Hearing Boy, his Deaf Parents, and the Language of Love
- Uhlberg, Myron. The Printer
- Uhlberg, Myron, The Sound of Silence: Growing up Hearing with Deaf Parents
- Walker, Lou Ann. A Loss for Words: The Story of Deafness in a Family
- Worzel-Miller, Lila. The Best of Both Worlds : A Not-So-Silent-Life
DVDs/Videos:
The emergence of DVDs and videos has enabled us to capture the talent of some of the most proficient ASL storytellers and performers of the twentieth century. Sign-Masters like, Mary Beth Miller, Gil Eastman, Bill Ennis, Clayton Valli, Debbie Rennie, Patrick Graybill, and Elinor Kraft are excellent models for the expressive potential of American Sign Language. ASL literature can and should be introduced to hearing and deaf kids as they are encouraged to play and experiment with language. Coda performers also provide language models and the content of their stories often provide a humorous
- Alan Abarbanell – Abababa ALife
- Bonnie Kraft – Tomorrow Dad Will Still Be Deaf & Other Stories
- Coda Brothers – Laugh, Learn, Sign (Volume 1)
- Keith Wann – My Experience Different
- Cameron Davie – Passport Without A Country
Additional Bilingual/bicultural Resources:
Though not directly similar, texts that describe the intersectional experiences of bilingual and bicultural children can also be helpful. We recommend the following texts:
- O’Hearn, Claudine Chiawei. Half and Half; Writers on Growing Up Biracial and Bicultural
- Pollock, David and Ruth Van Reken. Third Culture Kids; Growing Up Among Worlds
- Jones, Rachel. Finding Home: Third Culture Kids in the World
Research on KODA Camps:
There have been few efforts to examine the effects of KODA Camp experiences on c/koda language and identity development. A number of camp programs offer frequently asked questions sections for parents interested in programs. These are a useful starting point for addressing the concerns of parents and potential campers. In this article for NAD Magazine, Jenn Legg discusses her experiences as camp director, and the benefits she has identified for kodas and their families.
[Article reproduced here with permission from the NAD]
Deaf Culture Resources:
Many koda families request materials about Deaf Culture to share with hearing friends, teachers, coaches, and coworkers. Luckily a number of great resources exist! There is an abundance of books, articles, and videos that can help. These short texts provide a thorough overview of the features of Deaf Culture.
- The Deaf Community: An Introduction, and Deaf 101 an online course by The National Deaf Center
- “Understanding Deafness: Not Everyone Wants to be ‘Fixed'” by Allegra Ringo in The Atlantic
For more comprehensive studies of the history, culture, and language of Deaf communities, look for secondary research in your country. For families in the United States, the following texts provide significant insight on the forms of American Deaf Culture.
- Thomas K. Holcomb – Introduction to American Deaf Culture
- Carol Padden and Tom Humphries – Inside Deaf Culture
- Irene Leigh, Jean F. Andrews, Raychelle L. Harris – Deaf Culture; Exploring Deaf Communities in the United States
- Irene Leigh, Jean F. Andrews, Raychelle L. Harris, Topher González Ávila- Deaf Culture; Exploring Deaf Communities in the United States (second edition)
- H-Dirksen L. Bauman and Joseph Murray. Deaf Gain: Raising the Stakes for Human Diversity
- Carol Padden and Tom Humphries – Deaf in America; Voices from a Culture
- John V. Van Cleve and Barry A. Crouch – A Place of their Own