Old challenges, changing contexts: reviewing and reflecting on information provision for parents of children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing

The provision of information is generally not a technical activity, but rather a contextualized social action. Previous research about informed-choice and decision-making for parents of children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (POCDHH) has demonstrated this, highlighting the close relationship between contextual factors and the nature of information parents are provided with to support decision-making on behalf of their children. Such contextual factors involve human elements such as attitudes, values and beliefs of individuals involved in the transfer of information, as well as broader contextual factors such as changing information technology and changing markets. This paper reviews literature from a range of fields relating directly and indirectly to issues of informed decision-making for POCDHH. These studies provide an overview of issues such as current understandings of what type of information does (or does not) support decision-making, as well as highlighting the importance of considering how information is presented. Approaches used in other fields to address issues of reliability of information are also discussed. To complement this literature review, the article includes an auto-ethnographic component documenting my own attempts as a POCDHH to garner reliable information on behalf of my daughter within a discursive environment where the material often appeared inconsistent with best practice informed-choice and decision-making principles.