THE PORTRAYAL OF CHARACTERS WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING IN ADOLESCENT CHAPTER BOOKS WRITTEN FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL READERS

by Nichols, Andrea R

Thirteen books containing a character with a hearing loss were analyzed for the portrayal of the characters in the areas of characteristics, story elements, interactions, and authenticity. Results indicated that an accurate portrayal occurred in the areas of gender, relationships, and internal struggles of the character with a hearing loss. The character's mode of communication was mostly speechreading and speaking which is not consistent of today's society. There were inconsistencies within the books and our culture in the portrayal of the origin of hearing loss and the lack of characters with cochlear implants.