Measuring deaf cultural identities: A preliminary investigation.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument, the Deaf Identity Development Scale (DIDS), to measure how deaf people identify with the Deaf community and Deaf culture. An identity development model with four different cultural orientations with regard to the Deaf community was the basis of the instrument. A 60-item instrument, the DIDS was developed and translated from English to American Sign Language (ASL) on videotape. The ASL version was back-translated into English and the two English language versions were checked for equivalency. The DIDS was administered to two samples of deaf subjects who were expected to exhibit different types of Deaf identity. One- hundred-and-five deaf students from Gallaudet University and 56 members of the Association of Late Deafened Adults-Boston completed the DIDS. Results showed strong internal consistency with the scales. Initial use of the DIDS for comparing these two samples of Deaf subjects suggests the DIDS can be used to distinguish different Deaf cultural orientations.