Lived Experiences of Mothers of Deaf Children amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Mothers of deaf children encounter many difficulties in parenting their children amidst the pandemic. They need to cope with educational resources to help promote family–professional relationships and advance the effectiveness of the child’s intervention. This research delved into the lived experiences of 14 mothers of deaf learners in the Division of Mandaue City during the COVID-19 pandemic, the school year 2021-2022. The interview guide was used to conduct in-depth interviews, during which the data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The study revealed that mothers experience difficulty handling their deaf children academically, for they have little or no knowledge of the basic concepts of sign language. The six themes that emerged in the study were: Parents Limited Ability to Communicate with the Hearing-Impaired Children, Problems in the Preparation of the Learning Environment, Modular Instruction was not Fitted for Special Education, Usefulness of Constructed Modules to the Mothers and Children in Understanding the Lessons, Teachers Association Aide the Mothers Modular Instruction and Usefulness of the Learning Guides Provided by the School to Educate the Child. The study concluded that mothers of elementary deaf learners with impairments had experienced multifaceted problems due to the absence of face-to-face instruction.