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.
Hearing aids fix hearing loss like glasses fix vision problems.
People with hearing loss can hear when they want to. If you just talk
louder, people with hearing loss will be able to understand you. If
these statements ring true, you really should have a look at our section
on Hearing Loss Myths and Realities.
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"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 2002 - The 2002 SHHH National Convention
included a Research Symposium
that explored current research into issues affecting people with hearing
loss. To find out what areas are being investigated and what the
outcomes are, this is a must read.
September 2004 - Ever thought about
the BENEFITS of deafness? We're always talking about issues, but it
might be good to stop for a minute and consider the benefits. Here's
Cheryl Heppner's report on an ALDAcon discussion on the benefits of
deafness.
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.
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.
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.
June 2006 - Sound Advice About Age--Related Hearing
Loss
August 2006 - The Fatigue Factor: How I
Learned to Love Power Naps, Meditation, and Other Tricks to Cope With
Hearing-Loss Exhaustion
October 2006 - See and issue that you want
to take on? Then you should read the article about the ALDAcon
2006 advocacy presentation!
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.
February 2007 - People Who
"Get It"
September 2007 -
Child Safety Often
Depends on Caregiver's Ability to Hear, Says BHI
January 2008 -
Hearing Loss and Voice Level Control
June 2008 -
Hospital Visits More Dangerous for People with
Communications Problems
July 2008 - HLAA
Research Symposium: Issues Encountered by Students with Hearing Loss and
Potential Solutions
January 2009 - Hearing Loss Organizations Provide
Recommendations to Obama Administration
February 2009 - Reader Response to
Recommendations to Obama Administration
March 2009 - The National Temporal Bone Registry: Give the Gift of Hearing
March 2009 - Driving Safely With
Hearing Loss
March 2009 - Where are the driving
accessories for people with hearing loss?
July 2009 - 2009
HLAA Convention: Young Adults and Challenges of Living with Hearing Loss
January 2010 -
Legal Rights of Individuals with Hearing Loss
August 2010 -
Designing hearing aid
signal processing to reduce demand on working memory~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
June 2006
If you're
looking for a good hearing loss "primer" here's one from the Federal
Citizen Information Center in Pueblo, CO. Topics discussed include:
From Sound
Waves to Brain Waves
Causes and
Symptoms
Treatment
Types of
Hearing Devices
Some Won't
Hear Of It
How to
Lessen the Severity of Age-Related Hearing Loss
Hearing
Health Care Professionals At a Glance
Buyer
Beware
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How I
Learned to Love Power Naps, Meditation, and Other Tricks to Cope With
Hearing-Loss Exhaustion
August
2006
It
happened again last week. After a long day that included three extended
conference calls and two group meetings, I crashed. This letdown wasn't
the usual worn-out feeling after a long day. It was pure exhaustion, the
deepest kind of fatigue. I took a nap hoping it would refresh me, but when
I woke up three hours later I was still so tired I gave up on the day. I
went to bed for good and only started to feel normal the next morning
after eleven more hours of sleep.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 2008
Getting the voice level correct for the occasion
is difficult for many hearing aid users, and when it is finally
accomplished, it may be at the cost of poor own-voice sound quality. This
is illustrated in the present study, which also gives suggestions for the
required improvement in the hearing aids. An important part of achieving
successful communication is to use the adequate voice level for the
occasion. While this is trivial for the vast majority of normal hearing
people, it has been found to be difficult for many hearing aid users. The
ability to perform own-voice level control relies on the feedback
mechanisms listed in Table 1. Out of these, only the last-auditory
feedback-is affected by hearing loss and hearing aids, and it is therefore
straightforward to conclude that the hearing aid users' problems are
caused by the changes to auditory feedback that the hearing loss and the
hearing aids introduce. Hearing loss usually changes very slowly, which
leaves plenty of time for adaptation. This is possible only up to a
certain point, however; it is not uncommon to come across people with
substantial untreated hearing loss who speak overly loud. In contrast, the
changes to auditory feedback introduced by hearing aids are almost always
abrupt. Accordingly, difficulties with own-voice level control typically
arise immediately after the first fit with hearing aids, after fitting
with new hearing aids, or after a substantial change in amplification.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
June 2008
Preventable adverse events in hospitals occur
three times more often among patients with communication problems, such as
deafness, blindness, psychiatric disorders, and multiple health issues or
comorbidities, found researchers in this study of nearly 2,400 patient
records from 20 hospitals in Quebec. The report is published in the June 3
edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 2010
Numerous state and federal laws have been passed
which seek to minimize the effects of disability bias and give people with
disabilities equal opportunities. People with hearing loss have the right
under these laws to be free from discrimination in employment, public
accommodations, transportation, education, and communication. This article
surveys rights under state and federal disability laws, especially the
rights of employees with hearing impairments, and provides links to
references and other resources.
Full Story
