Summary:
Studying the bibliography on deafness, it is found that there are researches on the medical side of deafness as a disability as well as emancipatory researches in the Deaf, as members of a linguistic-cultural group. At the same time, there are researches on the deaf bearing a cochlear implant, of various themes and approaches (medical, educational etc.). What is missing is the emancipatory research on deaf with cochlear implant. The present research aims to fill this research gap.
This is a qualitative, emancipatory type of research aimed at presenting the subjective voices of the cochlear implanted themselves. The exact subject of research is the interpersonal relationships of the deaf with cochlear. This subject as well as the research questions were co-formed after discussion among the participants in the sample and were not imposed by the researcher herself. The entire course of the research and its findings were always controlled by the individuals of the sample who could give their opinion on all the research topics and especially the analysis. Due to the fact that it was a qualitative research, the research tool used was the interviews of each individual separately. The sample consists of 5 adults, with cochlear - including the researcher. The sex distribution is unequal (1-4) due to the difficulty in finding a sample. As far as it concerns the method of analysis, the thematic content analysis was used.
As it resulted from the research findings, the cochlear implant is not the only factor that affects the existence or not of challenges in the field of communication, interactions, social and interpersonal relationships. Τhe changes that emerge after the cochlear, which is a big step on the part of the individual, are decisive: however, a very important parameter is the social environment which accepts or not the idea of difference but also to what extent is it willing to take steps towards the approach of the individual with cochlear. Furthermore, there is a conflict between individual and collective identity, while none of the participants makes any self-identification according to the cultural model of deafness.
Keywords:
adults with cochlear, Deaf, interpersonal relations, emancipatory research
