Deaf families and marriages outside the community

In deaf history, it is common for a deaf person to have married and started a family with another deaf person. Typically, a spouse was found within the community. Often, marriages occurred between former schoolfriends, or then a spouse was found at deaf association meetings, other events for deaf people or through mutual deaf friends. It was important to share the experience of deafness with your spouse. It was said that a deaf couple’s profound sense of belonging and familiarity could only develop between deaf people.. In addition, sign language and a shared culture unified people, naturally.

Deaf families have always played a central role in the deaf community. In families with several generations of deaf people, sign language and deaf culture and traditions are passed from one generation to the next in a natural manner. These families form the backbone of the deaf community and their sitting rooms have served as places for soirees, socialising and meeting each other. In addition to the Hirns and Eklunds, other influential families in the deaf community at the time included the Stadiuses, the Savisaaris, the Ritalas and the Talvias. Today, well-known families within the community include the Hanhikoskis, the Tarvonens and the Sandholms.

Click on the links to read about the family histories of the Stadiuses, the Savisaaris, the Ritalas and the Talvias

Today, there is no longer a huge chasm between the deaf and the hearing, and the way people select a spouse has also changed. Young deaf people consider it important to have more things in common with a spouse than deafness. Technical advances, people having more international contacts and culture becoming more individual have given people more choice in finding a spouse.

Travel and increased mobility have made it easier to meet new people from further afield. The Internet, online communities and smartphones enable people to remain in contact over long distances. The Internet also makes it easier for deaf and hearing people to get to know one another. When choosing a spouse, it no longer matters whether the person is deaf or hearing, Finnish or foreign. Shared interests and a shared language are what matters.