Lo sviluppo identitario degli adolescenti sordi segnanti. Uno studio esplorativo

The aim of the present investigation is to explore the influence of deafness\r\ncondition on the identity development of 10 deaf adolescents who use Italian\r\nSign Language as their elective mode of communication. During the\r\nadministration of 10 semi-structured interviews, the following areas were\r\nexplored: the telling of oneʼs life story, self-image, fantasies about the future,\r\nand perceptions of prejudice about deafness. The content analysis made it\r\npossible to define the identity profile of each subject. The participants could\r\nthen be clustered into three different typological groups according to the way\r\nthey narrated themselves and imagined their future. The results indicate how the\r\nuse of sign language as a prevalent or exclusive communicative mode is\r\nassociated in contrasting terms with identity development: on the one hand, it\r\nappears to be a resource, in that it constitutes an enhancement of the deaf\r\ncondition but, at the same time, represents a limitation to the development of\r\nsocial relationships. Moderating elements of this association appear to be the\r\ntype of school attended and the presence of other deaf individuals in the family.