Guest Blog - Children and Hearing Loss-Changing Lives by Raising Awareness

This is my first guest post, by fellow blogger John O'Connor - bloggingwjohno.blogspot.com

Perfect hearing is something that the average person really takes for granted. When people think of hearing loss, they often associate the condition with people who are old in age. Hearing loss is common in babies and young children. A person can be born deaf of suffer hearing loss gradually over time. Of the estimated 738,000 people in the U.S. who have experienced substantial hearing loss, 8 percent of those people fall under the age of 18. People should understand that hearing loss is something that affects people from all backgrounds of all ages. Many people, especially children, are at risk for hearing loss.

It is estimated that 15 percent of children between the ages of 6-19 years old have experienced low or high frequency hearing at the 16th decibel in one or both ears. Children who may be hard of hearing may find it hard to grasp certain concepts like word order or may have a hard time learning grammar in school. Depending on the severity of the hearing impairment, the person has one of two options available to them to navigate these challenges. Children may have to wear a hearing aid, which amplifies the sound and redirects it into the user's ear. Others may learn sign language. Individuals who are deaf or have suffered hearing loss will have to learn sign language as a means to communicate with others.

Children must be assured that they will be able to have a wonderful, fulfilling life with a hearing impairment. Although children will have to grapple with bullying and may struggle with communications, many go on to excel in different areas of their lives. Pete Townshend was a rock musician who enjoyed a stellar career as a guitarist and songwriter for The Who. Although being hearing impaired, he enjoyed 40 years in the entertainment field. Townshend has tinnitus and is partially deaf. He credits his hearing loss to a noisy environment where he was consistently exposed to loud music. Actress Marlee Matlin has lost 80 percent of her hearing in her left ear. Since a toddler, she has struggled with hearing loss. Her strong support system helped her adapt to her condition and excel in acting. The actress went on to win an Oscar and a Golden Globe award with a hearing impairment.

EarQ supplier hearing aids nationwide, has recently launched a HearStrong campaign to raise awareness about hearing impairments. The company has launched the “HearStrong Champions” campaign, an initiative that identifies people with hearing impairments to serve as role models to those affected by hearing loss. The “HearStrong Champions” encourage others to pursue their goals and dreams in spite of having hearing loss.

Although having a hearing impairment can be an adjustment for the family and the child, the condition doesn’t have to ruin the person's life. It is up to the parent to help the child navigate the many challenges of being hearing impaired and make sure that the child feels like there are no limitations because of the condition. Parents should also be proactive in scheduling regular hearing screenings for their child to protect the child's hearing and detect hearing loss. The abundance of knowledge, resources and technology available make it possible for children with hearing impairments to enjoy fulfilling lives. 

Hi my name is John O'Connor, I am a father, outdoorsman, sports enthusiast and passionate about living a healthy lifestyle. Check out my new blog at bloggingwjohno.blogspot.com!

New type of "hearing aid" coming?

Hearing aids, even the most powerful one, have their limits.  Many people, myself included, find themselves either near or past these limits and in the domain of cochlear implants (CI).

Obviously CI are very expensive and require hospitalization and serious surgery to implant.  Getting a CI also means that person can no longer have MRI scans performed, a very serious consequence.

Researchers are working with a prototype of a new type of "hearing aid" that is "implanted" in the ear drum, a very minor surgery that is done outpatient.  The implant can reach 120 dB, which is fairly amazing.  More details on this link:

http://www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/research-news/2013/april/regaining-proper-hearing-at-last.html

Deaf FAQ

I know there are countless versions of this elsewhere, but here is mine:

What do I call you?

·       Deaf

·       Hard of Hearing

·       Deaf and dumb (extremely rude, equivalent to the “N” word)

·       Deaf mute (rude/ignorant)

·       Hearing-impaired (well-meaning, but rude)

Clarity matters more than volume

It does not help to yell or talk really slowly or animated.  Speak clearly and normally at an acceptable volume.  Clarity is far more important than super loud volume.   Most importantly, face me.

Why can’t you understand me well?

People with accents are extremely difficult to understand for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing folks.  Also, men and women may be easier or more difficult to understand.  Background noise, especially other voices, makes it virtually impossible to understand someone.

“But you speak so well”

Thank you, but I don’t have problems with my vocal cords—I have problems with my ears.  Just because I speak well does not mean I can hear or understand you.

The room matters

Small, quiet rooms offer the best possibility of being understood.  One-on-one or very small groups of people are best.  One person talking at a time, please.

Your hearing changes?

Everyone’s hearing changes day to day, and within a day.  It’s such a small change most people don’t notice.  It’s a huge difference when some or most of your hearing is gone, though.  If I’m really tired or have been listening intently for a long time, my ability to hear dramatically decreases.

Context matters

If I know what we’re talking about already, I may be able to fill in gaps when I miss words.  I may also be able to lipread a little if I am familiar with you.

Can you hear that?

I don’t walk around with an eye chart testing everyone with glasses.  It’s a bit annoying to get hearing tested several times a day.  It’s safe to assume I don’t hear it…

Switched at Birth - Deaf cannot afford to blow chances

Last night's episode of Switched at Birth was particularly brave in pointing out what is an obvious fact to many, but some might choose to ignore:  Deaf cannot afford to blow good chances in life.

To be fair, we could easily substitute dozens of other words in place of Deaf, and the sentence still holds true.  Some great examples include women in corporate America, minorities in certain situations, physically handicapped, etc etc etc.   Sure, nobody likes to face the truth when it's ugly, but discrimination still exists, even when it's not blatant, and sometimes we have to work harder than everyone else just to stay afloat.

I'm really happy with the writers and I hope they continue to find good topics to expose truth, educate ignorance, and overall make our lives easier.

I actually LIKED the Saturday Night Live ASL skit

I think there is a world of difference between what was done by Chelsea Lately and SNL.

Chelsea made fun of something she was entirely ignorant about, thus truly insulting Deaf and our language.  I think she got what she deserved when people erupted against her.  I think she owes an apology for being rude.

SNL, on the other hand, showed a very playful nature, and I think they did a parody in good humor and with a fair amount of knowledge.  I found the ASL part pretty funny, the Italian party absolutely hilarious, and the Spanish part really funny too.  It's just my opinion, but I think if you're offended by the SNL skit, you may want to grow thicker skin and laugh along.

I'm open to comments as to why it was insulting.  Marlee's opinion carried no weight with me, though.

World got even quieter...

Well I guess it's time to get back in for an adjustment.  I graphed my audiograms over the years.

Regal Captioned Movies via Sony Glasses - Followup

I went to see Dark Knight Rises tonight, so I got to use the caption glasses again.  This time armed with the information from my last post, I adjusted them and got even better performance from them.

The little box thing that the glasses plug into has three buttons:  the middle button is "menu" and then a + and - button.  I pressed menu and adjusted the brightness of the captions to where I wanted them.  Then I pressed menu again and was able to adjust the captions "near", "mid", or "far".  This was really wonderful and solved my major complaint from last time.  My vision is normal, but setting the captions to "far" meant that the captions were much closer to the screen in terms of focusing my eyes to see the movie or the captions  (set to near, it feels more like changing focus from he movie screen to a mobile phone in your hand, which caused me fatigue my first time).

The only remaining complaint focuses around the weight of the glasses.  They aren't particularly heavy, but towards the end of the movies, my nose has been quite sore.  I wear glass sunglasses and they don't bother me over long periods, so it's not just me.

I did ask the ticket seller how many glasses they had.  He said about 4 pairs.  So unfortunately big groups of Deafies won't be going together, which kind of sucks.  Hopefully the theaters get more, but still most theaters don't have any, and Regal has committed to all theaters nationwide.