Attitudes of the broader hearing, deaf, and hard-of-hearing community toward genetic testing for deafness

Purpose: To assess attitudes in a nonmedically and nonculturally influenced setting of reproductive-age adults toward genetic testing for deafness in newborns. Methods: Hearing, deaf, and hard-of-hearing individuals at a university completed questionnaires assessing attitudes toward genetic testing. Results: Eighty-five percent of hearing (n = 133) and 62% of deaf/hard-of-hearing (n = 89) individuals would allow genetic testing for deafness in their own newborn. Conclusions: These results indicate an acceptance of newborn genetic testing for deafness by individuals in the broader community, regardless of hearing status.