What's Life Like?

What's Life Like for People Who Are Hearing Impaired?
For people who lose their hearing after learning to speak and hear, it can be difficult to adjust because hearing has been an essential aspect of their communication and relationships. The good news is that new technologies are making it possible for more hearing-impaired teens to attend school and participate in activities with their hearing peers. These technologies include programmable hearing aids, which teens can adjust for different environments; FM systems, which include a microphone/transmitter worn by the teacher and a receiver worn by the student; cochlear implants; real-time captioning of videos; and voice-recognition software, which can help with note taking.



Many hearing-impaired people read lips and use sign language, and in some cases an interpreter may be available to translate spoken language in the classroom. Some students may attend a separate school or special classes offered within a public school. And for hearing-impaired people who want to go to college, many universities in the United States will accommodate their needs. One college in the USA, Gallaudet University, in Washington, DC, is dedicated entirely to hearing-impaired students.

At home, devices such as closed-captioned TVs, lights that flash when the doorbell or phone rings, and telephones with digital readout screens (called telecommunications devices for the deaf, or TDDs) are often helpful. Family and friends of people who use ASL or lip reading can help by learning to use sign language or, if the person uses lipreading, by speaking slowly, clearly, and face to face.
"I have always thought it would be a blessing if each person could be blind and deaf for a few days during his early adult life.
Darkness would make him appreciate sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound"

© - Site Seeing - Sonny, Lotje, Laurette en Femke, The Netherlands 2006