I am currently an art education major, but my dream has always been to work and possibly teach at a deaf school. I was born with a hearing impairment. I was not deaf but I was hard-of-hearing. We did not know about this hearing impairment until I was about four or five years old. I taught myself to read lips, so for the longest time they thought I was just stubborn and hardheaded, but little did they know I just could not hear them. When I was around five years old I went to an audiologist and had ear tube surgery. After that my hearing was 90 percent better. I still struggle every now and then if someone is not facing me when they are talking, but it is much better. Ever since then I have thought sign language and the Deaf community is extremely interesting! There are two groups of hearing impairments. They differ according to the degree of hearing loss. Children with a more severe form of hearing loss are deaf, and children who have a less severe hearing loss are considered hard-of-hearing (Meece & Daniels, 2008, p. 88). Student who are hard of hearing many be only to hear specific frequencies or sounds within a certain volume range. They will most likely have speech; however, their speech could be impaired due to their inability to hear their own voices clearly. While those students who are deaf may have little or no speech depending on the severity of their hearing loss, and they are more likely to use American Sign Language than those students who are hard-of-hearing (“Deaf or Hard of Hearing,” 2004). Hearing loss can affect a child dramatically in their early development. It is important to be aware and cautious of noticing signs towards possible hearing loss, because language and communication skills deve... ... middle of paper ... ...ded. By the use of ear tube surgery, hearing aids, cochlear implants, and ASL children are allowed to develop in a relatively same manner as other children. Lack of senses (e.g., hearing, seeing) makes all of the developmental processes more difficult, but with the help of the assistance listed above children with hearing impairments are allowed to develop like without hearing impairments children. With these assistance hearing impaired children go through information processing theory, social-culture theory, or many more. I am so fortunate to have had the ear tube surgery and to have gotten the opportunity to develop socially and cognitively. I will always have a special place and interest in my heart for hearing impaired students. I hope that one day I can have the opportunity to teach hearing-impaired students and give back because of my unique interest.
Mark Drolsbaugh, the author of Deaf Again, was born to deaf parents at a time when the deaf population didn’t have and weren’t given the same availability to communication assistance as they have today. He was born hearing and seemed to have perfect hearing up until the first grade when he started having trouble understanding what was being said but was too young to understand what was happening. (Drolsbaugh 8).
Especially for infants and children, loss of hearing at such a young age can be detrimental for a developing child (Williams & Jacobs, 2009). The first two years of life are the most important as they hold critical milestones of language acquisition (Zumach, Chenault, Anteunis, and Gerrits, 2011). If these milestones are not met, then the subsequent ones will be harder and take longer to learn. The loss of hearing in young individuals can alter the perception of words and sounds, and this can lead to a difficulty in learning language (Williams & Jacobs, 2009). For example, the child will not be able to determine the difference between similar sounds, which negatively affects speech perception, which then leads to the inability to interpret and acquire language later on (Williams & Jacobs,
It “is an important part of the social, cultural, and educational context of the hearing-impaired child’s development” (Stahlman, 349). If a person cannot communicate effectly then they may not thrive and develop while having a hearing or speech impairment. In both American Sign Language and Pidgin Signed English, a person who is hearing-impaired must learn to communicate with the world using only his hands and facial expressions. American Sign Language and Pidgin Signed English is a way for the unable to communicate. Both ASL and PSE can be taught in many different ways however, ASL is normally taught in school while PSE is normally self-taught but either way they are both a unique method of communication and can be used all over the world and can be translated and spoken just like any other language can
When a hearing loss is detected in a child, an array of reactions may follow. If the parents or guardian decide the appropriate route for their child is a cochlear implant, they must be made aware of the commitment and motivation necessary for the aural rehabilitation process. It is vital for the family, and even the child (dependent on age), understand that undergoing a cochlear implant will not automatically fix or restore the hearing loss. Cochlear implants are just the beginning of a long, yet hopefully rewarding journey that involves the child, his/her caregivers, and the entire health care team, as well as any individual who comes into contact with this child. Everyone in the child’s surrounding must focus on aural rehabilitation immediately post implantation. A service described by ASHA to include “training in auditory perception, using visual cues, improving speech, developing language, managing communication, and managing hearing aids and assistive listening devices” (ASHA). This vague description gives way to many different strategies, and subsequently leads to countless studies intended to determine which are most successful.
The deaf community does not see their hearing impairment as a disability but as a culture which includes a history of discrimination, racial prejudice, and segregation. According to PBS home video “Through Deaf Eyes,” there are thirty-five million Americans that are hard of hearing (Hott, Garey & et al., 2007) . Out of the thirty-five million an estimated 300,000 people are completely deaf. There are over ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing parents. Also, most deaf parents have hearing children. With this being the exemplification, deaf people communicate on a more intimate and significant level with hearing people all their lives. “Deaf people can be found in every ethnic group, every region, and every economic class.” The deaf culture and hard of hearing have plenty of arguments and divisions with living in a hearing world without sound however, that absence will be a starting point of an identity within their culture as well as the hearing culture.
There is no denying that hearing loss can have significant psychosocial impacts on those who experience it. The most negatively impacted group, however, is young children, for whom hearing loss can impede early learning and development (Connor et al., 2006). One viable solution to this problem takes the form of cochlear implants. An artificial cochlear unit is surgically implanted in the ear and functions by translating sounds directly into electrical impulses and sending them to the brain (Roland & Tobey, 2013, p. 1175). Despite the high success rates that they have produced, critics contend that cochlear implants should not be carried out on very young children. They cite certain physiological concerns as well as doubts about long-term effectiveness (Hehar et al., 2002, p. 11). Some have even expressed worries that cochlear implants will negatively impact young children’s social development by making them feel different or out of place (Ketelaar, 2012, pp. 518-519). Certainly, not every child with hearing loss is a viable candidate for an implant procedure. However, when a candidate has been positively identified, the procedure should take place as early as possible, in order to guarantee maximum educational and developmental benefits.
If more people looked at the world from a deaf point of view there would be much to gain. That is why it is so important to have D/HH inclusive classrooms. If students are taught from a young age to view the world as a deaf person would, then these benefits would come more naturally to them throughout their lives.
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. (November 2002). Retrieved October 17, 2004, from http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/coch.asp
The disparity between the Deaf and hearing is based around ableism, or a newer notion, Audism. Audism is the notion that those that can hear are superior. (Oberholtzer, 2009) Like most that are viewed as inferior, the Deaf are often looked at as lesser compared to those of the hearing community and labeled as disabled, even if they themselves do not view their deafness as a disability. Many of Deaf community members are able to hear and speak well enough to communicate with hearing people but still chose to identify with the Deaf community rather than in the hearing world. (Harlan, 1996) One’s involvement does not center around their hearing
The documentary of “Through Deaf Eyes” has open my eyes to the deaf culture. The movie has made it “click” that deaf people are just that people and individuals like me. Deaf community has its struggles just like everyone else. They struggle with growing into who they are as a person, harmful situations, and feeling a sense of belonging. They just speak a different language like Italians and Hispanics. Communicating with a different language does not make them lesser than a hearing person. When able to learn to communicate, the deaf are able to learn and gain knowledge just like a hearing person. The only difference is they have to learn more and work harder to achieve their goals and gain knowledge, which a hearing person learns just by hearing their surroundings.
National Institute of Health. (2011). National Institute on Deafness and other communication disorders: Improving the lives of people who have communication disorders. National Institute on
From a deafness-as-defect mindset, many well-meaning hearing doctors, audiologists, and teachers work passionately to make deaf children speak; to make these children "un-deaf." They try hearing aids, lip-reading, speech coaches, and surgical implants. In the meantime, many deaf children grow out of the crucial language acquisition phase. They become disabled by people who are anxious to make them "normal." Their lack of language, not of hearing, becomes their most severe handicap. While I support any method that works to give a child a richer life, I think a system which focuses on abilities rather than deficiencies is far more valuable. Deaf people have taught me that a lack of hearing need not be disabling. In fact, it shouldn?t be considered a lack at all. As a h...
Children with a significant hearing loss tend to struggle and are at risk, falling below their potential. Often times children with a hearing loss do poor academically and have delays in critical thinking skills, language, and may often struggle when it comes to their social and emotional development. These struggles are because language plays an important role in overall development. Current early intervention is more ...
Itano, C. Y. (1997). The challenge of assessing language in children with hearing loss. Language, Speech & Hearing Services in Schools, 28(4), 362. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/232585838?accountid=14800
So today, I have shared with you my journey in deafness. Being deaf can be hard, but it is not the end of the world. I can do what anyone else can do such as talk, play sports and hang out with friends. Every person’s journey is different. For me the key to success is perseverance.