1 Department of Special Education, Hasan Kalyoncu University, Gaziantep, 27000, Türkiye
2 Department of Speech and Language Therapy, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Ankara, 06760, Türkiye
3 Department of Special Education
Abstract
The early childhood period is a critical period for developmental areas. All activities supporting development specific to this period and providing a basis for learning must be planned inclusively and accessibly, taking children’s differences into account. In this study that addresses opinions of mothers on the deaf children’s participation in arts and sports activities in the preschool period, qualitative research method was utilized. Mothers of deaf children’s in the preschool period constituted the participant group. The study, in which 10 mothers participated voluntarily, was designed in phenomenological design. The data were collected through focus group interviews. The interviews were completed in three sections in 135 minutes in the 2025 Spring Term. The study’s findings analyzed by the researchers using content analyses were transformed into main themes of Living with Deafness: Parents’ Experiences, Deaf Children in Art and Sports Activities, A Small Aid, Big Worries: Parents’ Concerns about Hearing Aids. Mothers, drawing attention to the family’s adaptation process with the diagnosis in the early childhood period, reported that parents’ concerns regarding educational environments become prominent. They stated that they needed support sources, especially in their children’s routines and daily lives changing with diagnosis. They stated that they prioritize accessibility for children to discover their interests and abilities and to participate in social life and that they are concerned about damaging and losing hearing aids. Determining children’s fields of interest and abilities is of critical importance for children to start life stronger.
Keywords
Early childhood period,deafness,right to participate,arts and sports activities
How to Cite
Demiroz, K., Kayhan, H. N., & Isikdogan Ugurlu, N. (2026). The first step from color to motion: Deaf children’s participation in arts and sports activities in the preschool period. International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences, 17(65), 1150–1166. https://doi.org/10.70736/ijoess.2070
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Hatice Nilay Kayhan2