What are CODAs?

CODAs are Children Of Deaf Adults. They can be hearing, hard of hearing, or Deaf. But the main connecting characteristic is that they have the same experience of growing up in a household with one or both parents who are Deaf, and they have been required (or forced!) to act as the go-between for their parents when interfacing with the predominantly majority hearing world. CODAs describe themselves as standing in both the hearing and the Deaf world, yet still inhabiting a third world that is both hearing/Deaf, yet neither.

At very young ages (some at 3 or even 4 years old), many older CODAs may report having to interpret/explain things to their parents about what hearing people said, in effect being seen and treated as "interpreters" by both their parents and the hearing speaker. While the Deaf parent(s) might not intentionally force and expect their young child to provide 100% accurate and perfect interpretations/communication-facilitation, the child may perceive the emotional and psychological pressure to get the words and signs "just right", so that the parent(s) are not further embarrassed, judged inferior, or oppressively and callously dismissed. (This reaction by hearing people is still common!)

The CODA experience is borne of conflict—a love/hate relationship between demonstrating their love for a parent, and knowing that they are

Question: What's the typical defining trait of CODAs?

Answer: CODAs come from all walks of life. They may have one or both parents who are Deaf. One or both parent may sign, may attempt to use residual hearing supported by hearing aids/assistive devices, or may not sign at all. Sometimes one parent is Deaf and ASL is his/her primary language, while the other may be HH and prefers to speak and read lips for themselves.

CODAs also come from all Socioeconomic levels, though in the past (prior to the 1960s), many had parents who worked blue collar jobs, manual labor, and janitorial work. (Deaf people traditionally worked in factories, around loud machinery—which couldn't further injure their ears!—for the Post Office, the IRS, and other large manufacturing jobs across the country!) And they also come from all ethnicities and backgrounds, potentially bringing in trilingual and multilingual/multicultural communication needs and challenges with them to America.

Usually the oldest child was the most fluent (if the parent(s) signed). The oldest was the first to have to "help" their parents to interact and engage with the hearing world:

• answering phone calls;

• discussing with neighbors;

• making calls for doctor/dental/other appointments;

• communicating to school/teachers regarding the child's progress and needs during parent-teacher conferences;

• communicating for parents/guardians to their places of employment;

• "interpreting" for church services;

• "interpreting" for parent(s) to their respective family members (grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins, etc.) during family reunions, holidays, and other get-togethers.

Question: Are CODAs more fluent than non-CODAs when it comes to interpreting and interpreters?

Answer: For CODAs who come from signing households (1 or both parents/guardians are native, fluent signers), their first language will be sign language. If the parents choose not to sign, instead using their voices/residual hearing, and reading lips, then the CODAs are considered non-signing CODAs.

Therefore this question can only be answered by looking at that subset of CODAs who had fluent ASL-signing parents/guardians, and were deliberately taught ASL from birth. The first-born/oldest, as stated in the previous question, usually was the most fluent in ASL if the parents used ASL regularly as the primary language in the home. The youngest might also be fluent, if there was a large gap between oldest and youngest.

In some families, everyone was fluent in ASL, and in some, none of the parents or children used sign language, and had a different experience growing up. The CODA experience is varied and multi-layered by ethnicity, country of origin, home/primary language, parental/guardian fluency in sign language, etc.

CODAs (because of their diverse backgrounds and exposure to fluent ASL) may have difficulties becoming professional ASL-English Interpreters. They inherently know the language, but most have not academically studied the linguistics of ASL, the process of interpreting between ASL and English, or professional standards/expectations for ASL-English Interpreters. This means that in many general settings, CODAs can proficiently interpret, but may not be aware of all of the professional, ethical, and legal ramifications of their actions.

(Compare this to someone who says: "My mother was a lawyer and my father was a librarian. I'm fine representing myself in court...and finding all of my own research at the local law library!" Parental employment and language abilities typically have no actual professional bearing up on their child's professional employment ability.)

CODAs who have gone on to be seen as leaders in the field have put in extra effort to educate themselves (ASL, Comparative Linguistics, Interpreting, post-graduate research and degrees, etc.). They work to hone their knowledge of English and hearing American culture, since they might not have grown up with role models who were fluent in such content.

Summary - being a CODA in and of itself doesn't confer special language or interpretation powers upon anyone (just like being a child whose parents are Chinese or Russian or Afghani). Though when certain situations come up that a Chinese or Russian or Afghani national would have experience with, that child would certainly have more insight, experience, and intuitive knowledge. CODAs might have varying levels of intuition and experiential knowledge...but that doesn't always translate over to success, masterful fluency, or professional ethics.

Question: How does the CODA experience differ from hearing 1st-generation-born children of immigrants from other countries?

Answer: The CODA experience is sometimes compared to that of immigrants to America, with newborn American children (1st generation) learning English and having to "broker" the American world with their non-American/non-English speaking/reading parents. To some extent, the internal struggle to communicate for their parents, to explain the majority culture world, and to feel stuck in-between cultures/worlds is similar.

CODAs have it differently as their own parents may well be isolated within their own families—siblings and [grand]parents might not have ever learned enough ASL to fluently hold adult, complex conversations with their Deaf child! Now these Deaf individuals have their own children and may expect that their children will sign with them.

The Deaf parents'/guardians' all-encompassing life-long isolation from hearing society and from their own hearing families may be a huge impetus for them to unintentionally rely on their hearing children to interpret for them: at Doctor's offices, Dentist's Offices, parent-teacher conferences, church services, banks, and other situations. (This happened a lot more prior to the '90s, and the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but may still happen around the country.) And the children, many times, may volunteer to "clarify" or "help".

Just like Doctors and other professionals are cautioned and explicitly forbidden from providing professional services to their family members and children, interpreters should similarly be forewarned about potential and real conflicts of interest. CODAs may be put in situations where they are unaware of "conflicts" and "ethics"...and their only concern is that their parents/guardians have access and are understood by others.

In Summary...

CODAs are people of varying talents and abilities. Assuming that "having Deaf parents must have been wonderful" and that all CODAs are "amazing interpreters" just isn't the case for every CODA. A small minority have worked hard to distinguish themselves as honored and respected professionals in their field. Most can function in general settings, but not fully understand all of the ethical and professional ramifications that they may incur if they interpret incorrectly. A few have stood-out amongst the crowds and distinguished themselves professionally and culturally, bridging hearing and Deaf communities through stellar interpretations, honored legacies, and increased academic rigor and research. All CODAs bring something intuitive, cross-cultural, and unique to the interpretation process.

As adults, they may choose to go into ASL-English Interpretation as a career. As children, they should be allowed to enjoy their childhoods, without the added burden of feeling responsible for their parents'/guardians' communication, comprehension, and access. (No child should ever be forced—or feel pressured—to "interpret"/"explain" or otherwise act as a linguistic go-between for their parents/guardians!)

CODA (Wikipedia Information)

CODA International - *THE* website for Children Of Deaf Adults, International

CODA Brothers (YouTube Channel)

CODA Brothers (website)

CODA (movie short, Omeletto)