Deaf and Hardof Hearing September 27 2005 Deaf

Deaf and Hard-of. Hearing September 27, 2005

Deaf and Hard-Of-Hearing o Approximately 21 million deaf and hard-of- hearing people in the United States. n 1. 3 million are deaf o Three types of Hearing Loss n Conductive hearing loss is the result of disorders in either the outer or middle ear, which prevent sound from getting to the inner ear. p Voices and sounds may sound faint, distorted or both.

Deaf and Hard-Of-Hearing o Some common causes of conductive hearing loss: · Infection of the ear canal or middle ear · Fluid in the middle ear · Perforation or scarring of the eardrum · Wax build-up · Dislocation of the ossicles (three middle-ear bones) · Foreign objects in the ear canal · Otosclerosis · Unusual growths, tumors

Deaf and Hard-Of-Hearing o Conductive deafness n Hearing aids are used to enhance ability to hear sounds and discriminate speech.

Deaf and Hard-Of-Hearing o Sensorineural hearing loss n occurs when inner ear nerves become damaged and do not properly transmit their signals to the brain. n Patients may complain that people seem to mumble or that they hear, but do not understand, what is being said. n The aging process is the most common cause of sensorineural hearing loss. As we get older, the inner ear nerves and sensory cells gradually die.

Deaf and Hard-Of-Hearing · Causes of Sensorineural Deafness · Injury · Excessive noise exposure · Viral infections (such as measles or mumps) · Ototoxic drugs (medications that damage hearing) · Meningitis · Diabetes · Stroke · High fever · Acoustic tumors · Heredity

Deaf and Hard-Of-Hearing o Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type of hearing loss among adults (occurs in 80 percent of adult cases). o 10% of deaf persons born to deaf parents o 90% of people with hearing aids have this type.

Deaf and Hard-Of-Hearing o Central Hearing Loss n Rare and results in conditions involving the brain, such as MS, stroke, or tumors o *Mixed Hearing Loss n If a hearing loss is the result of both conductive and sensorineural components, it is known as a mixed hearing loss.

Definitions o Prelingual deafness n n Deafness that occurs prior to the age of three Individuals of with this type, do not become fluent in auditory language prior to their deafness. o Postlingual deafness n Hearing loss after auditory language has been acquired (after 3 years)

Definitions o Nonlingual Deafness n When a deaf child does not acquire language (manual or spoken) at a normal development age. o Lingual Deafness n When a person, whether prelingually or postlingually deafened, develops language at a normal age.

Definitions Criteria used to define deafness and hearing disabilities are guided by the assumptions and beliefs of those so defining. Medical Model n n Assumes deafness is caused by the failure of a critical sensory system, resulting in personal deficiencies. People who are deaf need professionals to help them cope with their problems.

Definitions o Social/Cultural Model n n Defines deafness in terms of function of interaction between the individual and society. Barriers experienced by deaf persons result from social, language, and cultural differences between majority and minority groups.

Definitions o Political Model n n n Power differences between hearing and deaf persons. Sociopolitical institutions are controlled by hearing persons who impose their definitions of the meaning of deafness on deaf persons. Resulting in civil rights battles and overcoming oppression

Terminology o “People first” language not employed by deaf people n Places deaf people in a disability framework. o Hard of Hearing n n Preferred over hearing impairment or hearing disability. Reduced hearing ability, however, not deaf.

Terminology o Schein (1996) - defines deafness. n The common outcome of diverse causes resulting in an inability to hear and understand speech through the ear alone. o Some people who are deaf can hear, but they do not understand speech through the ear alone. o Deaf and hard of hearing individuals define themselves.

Deaf Culture o Deaf vs. deaf. o Different but not inferior to mainstream Americans. o Reject the Disability label. o Use of vision instead of hearing for getting vital and incidental information. o 90% of Deaf people marry other Deaf people.

Language o American sign language (ASL) n n The language of choice within the deaf community. Discrete language Relies on visual and manual expression. Unique and separate from English

Language o Pidgin Signed English(PSE) or Signed English(SE) n n n PSE is probably the most widely used communication modality in the United States among deaf and hearing persons who work with them. The vocabulary is drawn from ASL but follows English word order. Words that do not carry information (e. g. to, the, am, etc. ) are often dropped, as are the word endings of English (e. g. -ed, -s, -ment, etc. ).

Language n n This means that the signer can easily speak while signing, since it is possible to keep pace with spoken English. It is simpler to learn than ASL since one does not need to include all English endings, nor does one to master the structure or idioms of ASL. o The S. E. E. Center, 2003

American Sign Language (ASL) Vs Signed English (SE) o The basic signs for words are the same o Signed English (SE) a sign is executed for every word in a sentence o American Sign Language seeks to convey a concept. n For example, if I were to sign “I have two sisters” in Signed English, I would make a sign for each word. In ASL, I might make the signs for “two” and “sister” and then point to myself, conveying the thought “two sisters, me. ”

American Sign Language (ASL) Vs Signed English (SE) o Signed English is used most often in a classroom setting where sentence structure is being emphasized. o ASL is used in settings where the focus is on the thought or message. p Elaine Ernst Schneider, 2001

Family Relationships o Deaf children experience the world differently than other children. o Must respond to nonvocal parental behaviors rather than their verbalizations. o Deaf children born to deaf parents, deafness is the norm. o 10% of deaf children are born to deaf parents.

Family Relationships o Hearing loss among children can be a serious shock to parents. o Parents must rely on social elements to communicate with their children. o Must learn a second language as their children.

Education o IDEA has influenced the public education of deaf children. o Controversy over education arenas. o Many residential schools for deaf children. n Separate children from their families.

Alexander Graham Bell o Deaf educator. o Alexander Graham Bell association for the deaf and hard of hearing. o Believed in eugenics. n Against intermarriage of deaf persons. p Prevent perpetuation of the deaf race.

Hard-of-Hearing o Majority of people with hearing loss are hard-of-hearing rather than deaf. o Function with the hearing world as their primary identity group. o Spoken language is the first language. o Hard-of-hearing children may be in a “in-between” world. n More likely to be socially isolated from their peers.

Hard-of-hearing o More likely to view deafness as a loss. o Technology important for access to education. o **Residential placement has decreased with the increase in mainstreaming, thus adding to the numbers of people identifying themselves as hard-of-hearing rather than deaf. ***.

Late Onset Deafness o Occurrence of deafness after spoken language is developed. o English or another spoken language is the primary language. o More likely to retain their identity with the hearing community. o More of a sense of loss. o TTY’s may replace telephones.

Late Onset Deafness o Oral conversations more deliberate. o Closed-captioned televisions may become necessary.

TTY o A TTY is also known as a TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) o HOW IT WORKS: This device 'rings' via flashing light or the more recent vibrating wrist band that resembles a watch. o The TTY consists of a keyboard, which hold somewhere from 20 to 30 character keys, a display screen, and a modem. o The letters that the TTY user types into the machine are turned into electrical signals that can travel over regular telephone lines.

TTY o When the signals reach their destination (in this case another TTY) they are converted back into letters which appear on a display screen, are printed out on paper or both. o WHO USES IT: The TTY has 4 million users nationwide. 3 million of these users are hearing impaired and the other 1 million have severe speech impairments.

TTY o ADVANTAGES: n n The TTY gives deaf people the luxury of just being able to pick up the phone and chat. It also provided an easier way to connect to police and fire stations in case of emergency. And with the later creation of Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS), the TTY users could connect to any phone anywhere in the world.

TTY o DISADVANTAGES: n TTY users must know how to type. n One half million of TTY users communicate using ASL for which there is no written counterpart. n ASL also has a grammatical system which differs greatly from that of Standard English. n If a TTY user is especially "chatty", the other party must just sit quietly until the "chatty" person sends the message, which they must then read and respond to. A conversation such as this would end up taking much longer than the average phone call.

TTY

Instant Messaging and IP Relay