people with hearing loss and oral communication
back to "New to
Hearing Loss"
The most important direct effect of hearing loss is increased difficulty with
oral communication. This difficulty pervades the life of hard of hearing, late
deafened, and oral deaf people, because
so much of what we do on a daily basis involves face-to-face communication.
Many hard of hearing, late deafened, and oral deaf people avoid situations that require them to understand spoken
communication. This can include everything from taking classes to social
interactions to certain aspects of employment. They may become increasingly
isolated as they drop more and more previously enjoyable activities.
We encourage you to continue reading for a thorough treatment of oral
communication involving a person with hearing loss. But if you're short
of time or you're looking a one page "handout" to give to
people. Please visit out "Tips for the Hearing
Person" and "Tips for the Person with
Hearing Loss".
Factors that affect the success of
face-to-face communication include the environment in which communication is
attempted and characteristics of both the speaker and listener. The willingness
of both parties to mitigate these factors can greatly improve the effectiveness
of communications.
In addition to optimizing the communications factors, a person with hearing
loss can adopt a variety of communications strategies
to maintain communications. Options include speech reading, cued speech, and sign
language.
Finally, when the application of strategies and controlling of factors does
not yield a successful conclusion, the person with hearing loss may adopt one of
several expedients to get through the situation. These include
repetition, writing, and <gasp> bluffing.
November 2001 - Show People What you Hear
January 2006 - Audiologists and physicians are realizing that
difficulty processing information and poor listening skills may
contribute to difficulty understanding spoken communication. A
recently-developed program called LACE is designed to address these
issues.
February 2006 - LACE offers hearing help!
June 2006 - Understanding, Not Anger
July 2006 - What to do about loud music in
restaurants
August 2006 - More on what to do about loud music
in restaurants
August 2006 - How to Avoid the Din when Dining Out
January 2007 - Help With Hearing a Conversation:
Everyday Tips for Those with Hearing Loss
February 2007 - No escape from background music - a
pain in the ear
December 2007 - Clear Speech
for Communication Partners
back to "New to
Hearing Loss"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 2001 - I recently ran across a GREAT website that plays
audio files which simulate what people with various hearing losses hear
in various listening environments. The user can select from a variety of
hearing loss patterns and severities, speakers, and listening
environments, and then hear what a person with hearing loss might hear
with and without amplification. The site is probably not of much value
to people with significant hearing loss, but it's a great way to give
your hearing friends and relatives a sense of what you can hear in
various situations.
To check this out, point your browser to http://www.sphr.pdx.edu/students/hearingsimulator/
But be careful! There was no sound in the first sample I clicked on, and
I thought something was broken. Then I thought about the selections I
had made and I realized that I was hearing what a person with a profound
hearing loss would hear listening to a quiet speaker in a quiet
environment without amplification - nothing!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February 2006
[The]
unlikely marriage of rock and science led to the creation of a computer
program that can help people cope with diminished hearing. LACE, for
Listening and Communication Enhancement, is based on the notion that
even though hearing loss can never be reversed, listening skills can be
improved. All of this came about because Sweetow connected with the
[Grateful] Dead in the '90s.
Full
Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
August
2006
Hip and
trendy restaurants encourage buzz. Loud conversation and music are
considered mood enhancers, and young customers, especially, equate din
with good times. Sometimes that is exactly what you want. But when the
buzz becomes a roar and you have to yell at your table mates, then there's
a problem. Think about your last restaurant experience. Did you have to
raise your voice to carry on a conversation? Did background noise make you
repeat and repeat what you said? Will you ever go back?
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
February 2007
HEARING-AID wearers of the world, unite! Join me in
my mission to ban background music, which plagues our hearing in all
walks of life. A stroll around Circular Quay has turned into a cacophony
of buskers vying for our attention, making it an impossible venue for
chatting with friends. Full
Story
