assistive technology for deaf or hard-of-hearing

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The purpose of this research paper is to examine how assistive technology can be fully utilized to enhance the learning experiences of the educational environment for children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Presently, there are major issues within our educational system when it comes to finding ways to produce, fund, and implement assistive educational technologies that will “level the playing field” for deaf and hard-of-hearing students and provide them with equal access to a reasonable education.

There are a wide array of hearing losses that range from mild to profound. Therefore, each child is faced with his or her own unique set of obstacles. In the same way that each person with vision problems cannot all be given the same lenses, there are a variety of hearing levels that require different auditory solutions. “Because hearing loss has a variety of patterns and degrees of severity and affects people in different ways, no single hearing aid is right for everyone” (“Educate Yourself About Hearing Aids: Facts for Consumers,” 1992, para. 4). It is not as easy as just slapping a hearing aid on a child, as you would a pair of glasses, and expecting them to function at the same level as their classmates. “Hearing aids tend to make sounds louder and somewhat clearer, but they do not restore hearing to a normal range of hearing. The greater the hearing loss, the greater the limitations of the hearing aid” (“Adjusting to Your Hearing Aid,” 2002, para. 2).

There is even a belief within the Deaf (lower case “d” deaf, which refers only to the medical condition) culture that many hold to that sees their hearing loss as a part of who they are and how they identify with the world. They are connected through a tightly knit Deaf community that claims American Sign Language (ASL) as their language. Often, these individuals or those prescribing to these ideals choose for their child to use ASL and not mess with the burden and expense of a hearing aid or similar device. Within this culture, there is often the issue that they “don’t see themselves as disabled and view implants [and other assistive listening devices] as an attempt to ‘fix’ something that isn’t broken” (Davies, 2005, p.2A). The primary use of ASL is said to provide the greatest understanding and communication access for those individuals within the Deaf community as well as a great sense of comfort and belonging, opposed to feelings of “discomfort.

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