Narrative of Brazilian Individuals after Deafness Diagnosis

ABSTRACT In this article, we investigate what deaf people report about the discovery of their own deafness diagnosis. Our data was collected in a focal group composed of five poor deaf adults conducted by a multidisciplinary team (educator, psychologist and sign language interpreter). All meetings were held in 2013 in Brasília, Brazil. As a result of our analysis, we identified narrative fragments which reveal two interdependent aspects of the impact of deafness diagnosis on the subjective identity: a) the iatrogenic effect; and b) the dramatic reconfiguration of parental relations after diagnosis. Our conclusion indicates that, after the discovery of their deafness, subjects become identified in the light of the unwelcome deficiency.