issues that affect hard of hearing, late deafened, and oral deaf people
back to "New to Hearing
Loss"
People with hearing loss are often treated as second class citizens.
Some of this treatment is intentional, but much of it is due to lack of
awareness by the general hearing public. This treatment is evident in
many aspects of their lives, and result in a variety of issues that are
important to the hearing loss community. We will examine the topics
listed below. But first, you might be interested to read some of the benefits
of deafness, as presented by a panel of late-deafened folks.
Access refers to the ability to take advantage of all the resources
that we encounter in our normal lives. This includes entertainment,
information, and social resources.
Oral Communication is the BIG ISSUE for most
hard of hearing, late deafened, and oral deaf people, because it is
a fundamental capability that pervades a person's entire life.
Communications problems increase the complexity and difficulty of many
areas of a person's life.
Emergency Planning refers
to the process of determining how emergencies will be dealt with. As you might imagine, people with hearing loss are often
left out of the process, which means that their needs are ignored.
Employment is a source of
many issues for people with hearing loss. There are issues with getting
a job and keeping a job. Something as fundamental as getting essential
information can become extremely difficult.
Family is generally a source of support, encouragement, and
comfort. This is also the situation for many people with hearing loss.
Unfortunately, many others don't have that kind of relationship with
their family. Many hard of hearing, late deafened, and oral deaf people
report significant issues with members of their family.
Hearing Aid
Affordability is increasingly
becoming a significant issue among people with hearing loss. As the cost
of hearing aids skyrockets, fewer people are able to afford the aids
that can help them retain personal communications. Fortunately, there is
a growing movement to include hearing aids in insurance coverage.
Identity issues are common among
people with hearing loss. They often consider
themselves to be hearing people who can't hear. A few are able to
successfully integrate into the culturally Deaf community, but the vast
majority see themselves stuck between the hearing world and the Deaf
world, and involved in neither.
Isolation is a frequent result of hearing loss. Movies, plays, and
concerts may no longer be accessible. Chatting with friends can become
frustrating and unrewarding, and the person with hearing loss may
withdraw further into their shell.
Services, or the lack thereof,
are a source of frequent complaint among the hard of hearing, late
deafened, and oral deaf people. Because
their disability is generally invisible, they are often overlooked by
organizations that provide services to disabled groups.
Other
Issues is where we put all the issues that don't fit nicely into one
of the categories above!
back to "New to Hearing
Loss"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
September 2012 -
Four strategies to improve music listening through
hearing aids
September 2012 -
Disabled and Disenfranchised
March 2012 - Hearing Loss Linked to Three
Times Greater Risk of Falling
March 2012 -
Referee bans footballer from pitch for wearing
hearing aids... because of health and safety
March 2012 - Jewish Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing
Awareness Shabbat
July 2011 -
U.S. Weighs Rule Requiring Hybrids, EV Cars to Sound
Pedestrian Alerts
July 2009 - 2009
HLAA Convention: Young Adults and Challenges of Living with Hearing Loss
February 2009 - Reader Response to
Recommendations to Obama Administration
January 2009 - Hearing Loss Organizations Provide
Recommendations to Obama Administration
July 2008 - HLAA
Research Symposium: Issues Encountered by Students with Hearing Loss and
Potential SolutionsFebruary 2007 - People Who
"Get It"
November 2006 - Here's
Cheryl Heppner's presentation on the current hot issues and advocacy
topics from ALDAcon 2006.
November 2006 - Four
Leaders on National Hearing Loss Organizations Discuss Advocacy on an
ALDAcon 2006 Panel.
October 2006 - See and issue that you want
to take on? Then you should read the article about the ALDAcon
2006 advocacy presentation!December 2005 - Hearing loss is a significant problem at any age; it
may have an even larger impact on older folks than on younger ones. Laine
Waggoner's wonderful article explores some of the reasons why.
December 2004 - Suppose you were a participant in a sporting event
and you were told that you couldn't wear your hearing aid or cochlear
implant while competing! Impossible, you say? You
might want to read this unbelievable story before deciding.
December 2004 - Here's a great story that does a
wonderful job of exploring many of the issues faced by folks with
hearing loss.
October 2004 - There's a national agency called
Protection and Advocacy whose mission is to advocate for people with
disabilities. If you don't know about these folks, you should learn. Here's
a report on a recent presentation on Protection and Advocacy.
October 2004 - Ever thought about what you'd do if a disaster struck
your area? Are there special preparations that people with hearing loss
should make? For answers to these and other questions, here's
a report on a Disaster Preparedness workshop from the 2004 SHHH National
Convention.
