A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF INTELLECTUALLY GIFTED DEAF AND HARD-OF-HEARING PEOPLE - EDUCATIONAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND CAREER OUTCOMES

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.