CODA

An acronym for Child of Deaf Adults, referring to a hearing person who was raised by one or more Deaf parents. CODAs typically grow up bilingual and bicultural, fluent in both a sign language and a spoken language, and often serve as cultural bridges between Deaf and hearing communities. Many CODAs develop native or near-native sign language proficiency, making them an important user group for sign language media and services beyond the Deaf community itself. Understanding the CODA experience is relevant to accessibility design because it broadens the audience for sign language content and highlights the cultural significance of sign languages beyond functional communication.