Having a hearing loss can affect both our physical and mental lives. The best way to help most people with hearing losses is getting a hearing aid. In my life, I have conductive hearing loss which is caused by infections and, in my case, scar tissue. From third grade to middle of my fifth grade year, I was having trouble hearing my parents and the teachers at school trying to talk to me. I would not hear what they were saying; therefore, I was hearing mumbling sounds. I had to try to piece the words together to try to figure out what those around me were saying. My parents noticed I was having a difficult time, and that was when I went for a hearing test. The audiologist mentioned it would be a good idea if I would get a hearing aid. I was hesitant at first about getting a one. I did not know anything about them; besides, they were for elderly people. I was in fifth grade. I did not know anyone who wore one that was my age; however, I needed to get over that fact. I needed one, and it was probably one of the only instruments that would help me hear.
Within the past 10 years hearing aids have improved. They come in many sizes, colors, and even new features. My first hearing aid was a generic one. I had an inner ear half shell hearing aid. I did not want anything anyone could see. My audiologist showed me multiple hearing aids, and the one that looked right for me was the inner ear one. Myths and Facts about Hearing Aids says, “There are several styles of hearing aids, and all are ‘state of the art.’ What is most important is that you purchase a hearing aid that accommodates your hearing loss and your listening needs” (2) I did not know anything about hearing aid, but now since I wear one, they are actually pretty interesting. I n...
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...ng loss in just one of my ears. Ever since I received my hearing aid, I hear things a lot better and clearer. Hearing aids are a good device anyone could have. There are different styles that a person can chose from. Quoted from Hearing Aid Facts, “Everyone’s hearing loss and listening needs are different. By working with your hearing aid dispenser, you can determine how much a hearing aid will improve your hearing” (1).
Works Cited
“Hearing Aid Facts.” AVC Hearing Aid Center, Inc. Better Hearing Made Easy. 2010. Web 4 April 2011. http://avchearing.net/hearing-aid-facts
“Myths and Facts about Hearing Aids.” American Speech-Language-Hearing
Association. 1997-2011. Web. 2 April 2011.
http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/treatment/aid_myth_fact.htm
“Your hearing Aids Questions.” Buy hearing aids.
Web. 18 April 2011.
Like I said before I was unaware deaf experienced audism. By educating others they will be more aware of this ongoing issue resulting in preventing audism from occurring. Another way to reduce audism is to spread the word to friends and family. Explain to them about this issue and have them spread the word as well. Lastly, if you see someone being an audist, kindly ask them to stop as well as explain to them about the damage they may inflicted on someone. This will be a learning experience for you as well as the other person
At a young age, I witnessed my younger brother lodge an eraser in his ear and later have it removed by a doctor. A year later he had tubes inserted and a year or so after that, I saw those tubes fall out of his head. Besides thinking that my younger brother was really a robot with metal parts falling out of his brain, it was where my fascination of the human ear began. Since then I’ve helped my grandfather and father with their hearing aids, especially replacing the small batteries which was difficult for their large farmers’ hands. I’ve also observed my older sister, an Audiologist in California, for two weeks as she worked with patients, letting me do hearing aid cleanings, help with sales, file patient records, observe ear molds being
Lane, Harlan (1992). “Cochlear Implants are Wrong for Young Deaf Children.” Viewpoints on Deafness. Ed. Mervin D. Garretson. National Association of the Deaf, Silver Spring, MD. 89-92.
Many individuals have different views surrounding cochlear implants. Most of the Deaf community tends to be against them whereas most of the hearing community tends to be in favor of them. It is important to understand not only want a cochlear implant is, but how the different communities view the implants so that we can gain a better understanding of Deaf culture.
Cochlear Implants are frequently thought of as an end all solution to hearing loss, a cure for deafness. However there are a couple things wrong with this line of thinking: First CI’s are not a perfect replacement for fully functioning ears. Second, they will only work for a few deaf people.
With around 70,000 special education students with hearing losses in the US it is no wonder that teaching these students the art of music has become an important opportunity within their education (U.S. Department of Education). According to Darrow and Heller (1985) as well as Solomon (1980) the history of education for students with hearing loss extends over a hundred and fifty years. These students have every right to music education classes and music instructors need to understand their unique learning differences and similarities to those of the average typical (mainstreamed) student to ensure these students have a successful and comprehensive learning experience. Despite this, there are still plenty of roadblocks, one of which may be some music instructor’s lack of effective practices and methods to successfully teach to the student’s more unique needs. Alice Ann-Darrow is a Music Education and Music Therapy Professor at Florida State University. Darrow’s article “Students with Hearing Losses” focuses not only on the importance of music education for these students but it is also a summarized guide of teaching suggestions containing integral information for the unique way these students learn.
Cochlear implants are used for people who are completely Deaf, not being able to hear a single noise or hard of hearing individuals as well. Sound waves go into the ear, entering the ear canal, then hitting the eardrums in which vibrates. Vibration from the eardrum pass major parts in the ear, them being the bone called the Malleus, Incus, and Stapes. These three main parts in the ear amplify the pulse, and then are picked up by small hair-like calls in the cochlea. Moving as the vibration hits, evidence is then sent through the auditory nerve then to the brain, the brain processes the data and in which we describe as sound. A cochlear implant is a highly invasive procedure where the surgeon drills a small hole into the individual’s skull; opening the Malleus bone then a small hole is drilled into the cochlea where the electrodes are inserted. This procedure takes about 2-4 hours, and surgeons use general anesthesia. Having a magnet under the skin/skull for the receptor to hook to, and also have to shave out all little hairs around the cochlea, and spending $40,000 for this implant. Deaf children should not get the cochlear implant because it’s a dramatically change in ones life and affects the way they feel and see themselves.
TTYs (also called Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf (TDD) and text telephones) are used for two-way text conversation over a telephone line. They are the primary tool used by deaf people (and some hard of hearing people) for telephone conversation. Other visual telecommunications technologies and services, such as Internet chat and messaging, email, e-paging, and fax and e-mail are also used in telecommunications by people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The medical field is notorious for providing cures to deafness, such as cochlear implants, which then leads people to believe that it is something that must be fixed and therefore labels deafness as a disability. While Tina Gianoulis was comparing the similarities between Queer and Deaf experiences in her article mentioned earlier she declares that, “most painfully, both groups have traditionally been forced to try to become “normal”. Well-meaning parents, determined that their children not be labeled “different”, have sent thousands of deaf children to speech pathologists and mainstream schools where they spend their youth feeling lonely, bewildered, and deficient.” which is the negative effect that the deafness should be cured thought has on those that actually experience hearing
All individuals would be enriched by becoming a bit more Deaf. By that we mean society would do well to become more acutely aware of the nuances of communication, more engaged in eye contact and tactile relations, more fluent in a language rich in embodied metaphor, more aware of the role of being a member of close-knit communities, and if nothing else more appreciative of human diversity, so that we [are] constantly reminded that the bedrock of reality may be just as diaphanous as any other social construction. (Bauman and Murray 255)
Individuals who are deaf or are hearing impaired are faced with many problems in today’s world. There are so many tasks and activities that are done today that deaf or hearing impaired people may have difficulty doing because of there handicap. There handicap used to stop them or inhibit them from doing something that they are interested in or there friends and neighbors would do. However in today there are new and different technologies, that help the deaf and hearing impaired in the activities in which they want to participate in which is hard for them to take part in because of there handicap. Technology is used to help with everyday tasks in the lives of deaf and hearing impaired individuals. With out this new technology which is being invented everyday, deaf and hearing impaired people may be considered to have a handicap which prevents them from certain activities, but this is not the case anymore, now these people just have different obstacles which through the use of technology they are learning to over come. They can do anything that regular normal range of hearing individuals can do, due to the new technology being invented everyday.
In my life, I've had a major setback that has changed how I live life day to day. When I was five, I was diagnosed with permanent hearing loss. I have hearing loss in both ears, mostly in higher frequencies, but I still have some hearing loss in the lower ones too. Since I was 5, it has only gotten worse, just in the past year there has been drastic changes in the frequencies that I can't hear. Hearing loss affects me day to day, for example if anyone whispers something to me, nine of ten times I can't hear what they are saying. My academics also get affected because sometimes I can't hear what we have for homework over all of the background noise of people packing up, so sometimes I just don't do homework because I never heard it in the first place. Not doing homework because I can't hear it affects my grades as I will get zeros for not doing it.
Infections - Infections that take place during the pregnancy, infancy or childhood can all cause hearing loss.
Today’s society consists of numerous individuals who are diagnosed with disabilities that prevent them from partaking in their everyday tasks. Not everyone gets the chance to live a normal life because they might have a problem or sickness that they have to overcome. Deafness is a disability that enables people to hear. All deafness is not alike; it can range in many different forms. Some people like Gauvin, can be helped with a hearing aid, but some can’t because of their situation and health reasons. In society, hearing individuals consider deafness a disability, while the deaf themselves see it as a cultural significance. In the article “Victims from Birth”, appearing in ifemnists.com, Founding Editor Wendy McElroy, provides the story of
Many people do not seem to be aware that there is a Deaf culture and many hearing people often assume that those who are hard of hearing desire to hear but unfortunately this is not the case. According to My Deafness – Deaf culture facts, (2015) “Deaf people often consider positives of being deaf such as