Deafness and Hard of Hearing

Deafness and being hard of hearing is NOT a physical exceptionality, it is classified as a communication disability. Deafness and students who are hard of hearing is more common that you might think in our classrooms. Neil K. Chadha states: “Hearing loss is the most common sensory deficit in childhood” (“Why are Children Deaf?”, 441).

There are many misconceptions about deafness, and you yourself may have thought they were true. From Sheilia Bennett’s Special Education in Ontario Schools examples of these misconceptions are ones such as “deafness diminishes intellectual ability”, “hearing aids restore normal hearing”, or “people who are profoundly [i.e. completely] deaf live in a world of total silence” (191). I can say from personal experience and interaction that these statements are false. One of my cousins has a hearing problem, and he wears a hearing aid in both ears. He is one of the smartest people I know. He has had many successes and lives a very “normal” life. But he has also had difficulties socially, as well as in the classroom as a child.

I also worked with a student on practicum in first year that was hard of hearing. He was assisted with an Educational Assistant who is proficient in sign-language, one-on-one instructional time with a specialist who visited every two weeks, as well as programs on his school-issued personal laptop. I was reminded of this student while reading the “possible Indication of Mild to Moderate Hearing Loss in Children” section in Special Education in Ontario Schools. It states: “The following signs merit attention if a teacher or educational assistant notices them consistently. [P]oor articulation . . . physical signs (like constantly cocking of the head), trouble following directions or answering simple questions . . . unusual inattentiveness . . .” (192). The student’s E.A. was discussing with me how the student came to be diagnosed, as it was a recent event. She had told me that he exhibited these characteristics, and his parents agreed to having it looked into.

As I said, the student is hard of hearing, not profoundly deaf, so he does not wearing hearing aids. This surprised me a little because I had thought that they would have been helpful if not mandatory, but this relates back to those common misconceptions about people with a hearing disability. But I have learned that there are varying levels of hearing loss. The range includes mild, moderate, moderate/severe, severe, and profound (Bennett, 193). It is important to keep in mind our own assumptions and biases, and to educate ourselves about this disability as we are likely to encounter a student in our classroom who is hard of hearing; or someone in our class may relate to this disability through someone in their life. Bennett states: "Just like those who hear normally, people who are deaf and hard of hearing are as completely individual as anyone else" (194). Writing this blog, and more generally taking PROF 310 has enabled me to be more educated on this subject and has made me aware of my own misconceptions. This is valuable because even as educators we are always learning.

I have included a video about a girl who is profoundly deaf. She has put together this video using written cue-cards that she flashes before the screen. The video is directed at parents who have a child who is deaf (as she is deaf with two hearing parents), but I think we can apply the messages in this video to teachers who have students who are deaf or hard of hearing in their class.  

“To Educate Hearing Parents of Deaf Child”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuVdMMfCrSU

 

Works Cited

 Bennett, Sheilia, Don Dworet with Ken Weber. Special Education in Ontario Schools. 6^th ed.St. Davids: Highland Press, 2008. Print.

Chadha, Neil K., Rashmi Chadha, Adrian L. James. "Why are children deaf?". Paediatrics and Child Health (October 2009), 19 (10), pg. 441-446.