Introducing the READY Study: DHH Young people’s Well-Being and Self-Determination

Abstract

READY is a self-report prospective longitudinal study of deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) young people aged 16 to 19 years on entry. Its overarching aim is to explore the risk and protective factors for successful transition to adulthood. This article introduces the cohort of 163 DHH young people, background characteristics and study design. Focusing on self-determination and subjective well-being only, those who completed the assessments in written English (n = 133) score significantly lower than general population comparators. Sociodemographic variables explain very little of the variance in well-being scores; higher levels of self-determination are a predictor of higher levels of well-being, outweighing the influence of any background characteristics. Although women and those who are LGBTQ+ have statistically significantly lower well-being scores, these aspects of their identity are not predictive risk factors. These results add to the case for self-determination interventions to support better well-being amongst DHH young people.

Political participation among deaf youth in Great Britain

“…It could be argued that READY participants may not be representative of all deaf young people of this age as the sample is skewed towards certain demographics. The sample comprises more people from affluent backgrounds and there are considerably more women than men [ 16 ]. Thus, the CLS and ESS may represent a broader spectrum of young people in terms of educational attainment and SES than the READY sample.…”

“…The READY Study (Recording Emerging Adulthood in Deaf Youth) is a prospective, longitudinal cohort study that focuses on deaf young individuals living in England, Scotland, or Wales, who are followed prospectively for up to 5 years [ 16 ]. The inclusion criteria were limited to individuals who are permanently deaf -including those with unilateral deafness-, aged between 16 and 19 years at the entry point, and capable of providing informed consent in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 1998 (England and Wales) and the Incapacity Act 2000 (Scotland), part 5.…”

“…We define political participation as the active involvement in actions oriented to influence government or policy outcomes, covering engagement in a repertoire of non-electoral activities during the last twelve months [1,4]. We compare levels and rates of participation amongst deaf young people in the READY cohort [16] with general population youth participation data in the country [17][18][19][20]; and then analyze the factors driving deaf young people's political engagement.…”

“What have YOU done in the past few years?” Deaf BSL users’ experiences of caring for people with dementia during COVID-19

“…Access should be a consideration for everyone, not just for Deaf individuals, especially in informal or family care situations (Young, 2023). Service providers, instead of choosing English, should adopt inclusive approaches, without assuming speech and hearing as the norm, meeting diverse communication and language preferences, especially for those whose cognitive ability may be reduced.…”

“…The limited research available on the pandemic’s impact on Deaf people offers surprising insights into their unique resilience in coping with lockdown and social restrictions. Young et al (2023) carried out a study with younger Deaf individuals, many of whom did not use BSL, revealing unexpected advantages with familiarity of limited social contact and often facing communication barriers. These experiences, which were new to their hearing peers during the pandemic, made them feel technologically advanced with online communication via FaceTime and Zoom.…”