Exploring the impact on hearing children of having a deaf sibling

The impact on hearing children of having a deaf sibling is an area of research that has often been neglected. Existing research in this field has typically concluded that the impact these deaf children have on their hearing siblings is either positive or negative. However, this study demonstrates that the picture may be more complex than this. In this study, six hearing siblings were interviewed retrospectively about their experiences of growing up with a deaf brother/sister. Throughout the respondents' accounts one connecting theme was found, the idea of simultaneous versions of reality; respondents integrated two seemingly inconsistent, yet equally valid versions of reality as a way of recounting and making sense of their experience of growing up with a deaf sibling.