Hearing loss affects people of all ages. The reasons for the disability are just as wide-ranging and complicated, from birth defects to serious infections and exposure to loud noises. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders reports that about 17 percent of adults in America have some level of hearing loss while two to three children out of 1,000 are born deaf or with some hearing loss. Women are less likely to go deaf than men, and 47 percent of Americans over the age of 75 have a hearing impairment.
Basics
Hearing is combination of the ear's ability to pick up sounds and the brain's ability to interpret those sounds. The hearing impaired are affected at various levels, which in turn determines their level of need and disability. Factors that determine the level of a person's hearing loss include how much they can hear, if they've developed speech before they lost their hearing, their age and if they are candidates for corrective measures, such as surgery or implants.
Accommodations
The level of disability for the hearing impaired depends on the kind of support system available, their own level of self-acceptance and their willingness to learn new skills. Some people with minor hearing loss at very low or very high levels can make personal adjustments by turning their heads or sitting closer to the speaker at school or other places.
Considerations
Others may correct their hearing to sufficiently get along in society with the assistance of hearing aids. Cochlear implants can help young people and those with short-term profound hearing loss. Still others with severe or total hearing loss must rely on technological devices or learn new communications skills such as American Sign Language.
Employment
People who are hard of hearing or deaf are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which made it illegal for employers to discriminate against people with hearing loss. Under the law, employers must make reasonable accommodations for the deaf and hard of hearing if they are otherwise capable of performing the job duties. For the deaf, that might mean installing a telephone relay system or providing an ASL interpreter.
Culture
There has developed a subculture in disability communities that's referred to as "deaf culture." People with hearing loss who identify with "deaf culture" believe that they are normal; they just can't hear. They refuse to accept the idea that they are broken or disabled. Many people who participate in deaf cultural circles refuse treatment when it is available. According to American Deaf Culture, the premises that bind the community include ties to a common language and a shared identity.
