M. Vernon et E. Lafalcelanders, A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF INTELLECTUALLY GIFTED DEAF AND HARD-OF-HEARING PEOPLE - EDUCATIONAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND CAREER OUTCOMES, American annals of the deaf, 138(5), 1993, pp. 427-434
Fifty-seven gifted deaf and hard of hearing people were followed longi
tudinally to determine their current educational, career, and mental h
ealth status. Of the 49 who were old enough for postsecondary schoolin
g and for whom data were available, 86% attained some postsecondary ed
ucation. Of these, 43% graduated from a four-year college and 18% atte
nded graduate schooL Of the 57 total cases, 39% experienced mental ill
ness of a severity requiring either inpatient hospitalization or outpa
tient therapy. Occupationally, 33% of the total sample were in profess
ional or supervisory roles, 18% were technicians or craftspeople, and
a surprising 30% were unemployed. People with progressive and late-ons
et hearing losses had especially severe problems of adjustment and emp
loyment. Demographic data and a further breakdown of the above informa
tion are provided.