A pessoa surda no contexto da família ouvinte: implicações do (não) lugar da libras no processo de interação.

Abstract

Brazilian Sign Language (LIBRAS), although being the basis and means of communication and visual expression for the deaf, as guaranteed by Law 10.436/02, still not so well known and accessed by society, which can cause difficulties in interaction and generate misunderstandings in the communicative process by part of some hearing family members who have a deaf child. That said, we question: How communication occurs between deaf people and family members who do not know Libras and what are its implications for the interaction process? The goal in this research is to investigate how communication takes place between deaf people and family members who do not know Libras and its implications in the interactive process. As specific objectives, we list the following: 1) Check the level of knowledge and use of Libras among family members; 2) Examine the implications of (not) using Libras in the communicative process; 3) Describe and analyze the speeches of deaf members in relation to interactions (or lack thereof) in the family. To meet the objectives proposed in this study, we developed a qualitative and exploratory research, through a field research, involving two deaf people from different family contexts. The interest that aroused the theme of this work came from the personal experience lived in the church, which made it possible to live with deaf people born in hearing families. This experience brought emotional unease, as I witnessed the need for communication between a deaf young man and his hearing family. The difficulty in the hearing family with a deaf child is experienced with the lack of communication within the home, mainly due to the lack of knowledge of Sign Language. Two hearing families with deaf children participated in this research. Questionnaires and video interviews were carried out to generate data, used to get to know the investigated reality more closely. Due to the fact that they are unaware of the deaf culture that involves Sign Language, some families consider the gesture as the only possibility of communication with the deaf. With the development of this research, we verified that the level of knowledge and use of Libras among the interviewed family members, in general, is basic, with the exception of one of the interviewed mothers, who, although not yet fluent, already demonstrates a more advanced in sign language. Without the proficient use of Brazilian Sign Language (LIBRAS), communication between family members and deaf members is quite limited, which does not allow the discussion of more complex issues among themselves. With this, we understand that the implications of the (non) use of Brazilian Sign Language (LIBRAS) in the communicative process ends up generating obstacles and disagreements between the deaf and their hearing family members. The more advanced the level of knowledge in Libras, the more interaction in the communicative process between the deaf and their hearing family members. After describing and analyzing the speeches of deaf members in relation to interactions (or lack of them) in the family, we saw that they often feel isolated and misunderstood in their own home. As much as the family tries to use different means to communicate with deaf people, such as gestures, homemade signs or oralization, nothing replaces the efficiency of Libras in the interactive process. In view of this, we saw that there is still a need to promote discussions about the importance of learning Libras in the family context, given that the lack of knowledge of sign language by hearing family members can have consequences for the cognitive, emotional and social development of deaf person.