Imagine living with an invisible condition that affects every decision and action someone will make in his or her entire life. That is how hearing loss affects nearly forty-eight million Americans each year. Hearing loss can be permanent if it is present at birth, or it can slowly develop over time due to things such as: a hole in someone’s eardrum, certain viruses, fluid in the ears, or the most common cause, aging. The Hearing Loss Association of America states that one in three individuals over the age of 70 will experience some sort of hearing loss. Regardless as to what the cause of one’s hearing loss may be, it can be physically, emotionally, mentally, and socially disabling (Hearingloss.org). There are many different variations of hearing …show more content…
The second type of hearing loss is called sensorineural, and deals with problems of the inner ear and nerve-related issues in the ear. Some causes of sensorineural hearing loss may be: “loud noises, head trauma, viruses, and tumors.” Then, mixed hearing loss is a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss (Asha.org). Therefore, depending on which type of hearing loss someone may be diagnosed with, the symptoms and treatment options will most likely be different per …show more content…
Only when someone’s quality of life and or health begins to decline, will they be diagnosed with hearing loss. An article on Starkey Hearing Technologies’ website states that those with untreated hearing loss suffer from “diminished cognitive function, poorer mental health, and social withdrawal.” Also, a survey conducted with 4,000 adults nationwide “found significantly higher rates of psychosocial disorders including depression and anxiety in individuals with untreated hearing loss” (Starkey.com). The longer someone waits to see a doctor concerning his or her hearing loss, the more damaging it can become. However, there are many treatments for hearing loss, and the majority of people who seek help will be able to regain happy and healthy lives. Depending on which type of hearing loss an individual has and what caused it, the method of treatment will differ. With most hearing loss, it can be treated with a hearing aid, antibiotics or antifungals, corticosteroids, and surgery to repair any damage to the eardrum or middle ear (Hearingloss.org). It is believed that “95 percent of Americans with hearing loss can be treated with hearing aids and individuals who treat their hearing loss early have shown significant benefit” (Starkey.com). Therefore, hearing loss does not have to disable someone for their whole lives
Just like members of other minorities, such as Hispanics and African-Americans, Deaf people experience some of the same oppression and hardships. Although the attempts to "fix" members of and obliterate the DEAF-WORLD are not as highly publicized as problems with other minorities, they still exist. Throughout time, hearing people have been trying to destroy the DEAF-WORLD with the eugenics movement, the mainstreaming of Deaf children into public hearing schools, and cochlear implants.
Throughout our day to day lives we are exposed to many sounds such as the sound of traffic, coversation, TV, nature and music. More often than not these sounds that we experience are at a low safe level, levels that will not affect or harm our hearing. Unfortunatley when we are exposed to sound levels that are too high or loud sounds over a long period of time there is a chance that the delicate inner workings of the ear can be permanatly damaged. This is known as noise induced hearing loss (NIHL)
Deafness affects millions of people in the United States every year. Cochlear implants and hearing aids are two methods to treat the hearing impaired, but the person has to rely on the device to hear sounds. First announced in Nature Medicine, scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School have discovered a gene that could potentially cure deafness.
Cochlear implants can affect many children from the age after birth to twelve. This implant does affect children emotionally. Infants to toddlers don’t even know what is going on, they are to young to understand that they are deaf. Parents not accepting the fact their child is deaf and does not want to be part of the hearing world. Many parents whose child are born or become deaf do not want any contact with the deaf community; they just want to “fix” their child. Sad part is that the child has no idea is...
A hearing loss can present many obstacles in one's life. I have faced many issues throughout my life, many of which affected me deeply. When I first realized that I was hearing-impaired, I didn't know what it meant. As I grew older, I came to understand why I was different from everyone. It was hard to like myself or feel good about myself because I was often teased. However, I started to change my attitude and see that wearing hearing aids was no different than people wearing glasses to see.
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.
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
Though some of the hearing community might take on an unknowingly negative approach on deafness due to a lack of knowledge, for those in the deaf community, their hearing loss is not a burden or a disability, but instead an important component of their identity and culture (Sanger-Katz). Many see being deaf as a positive attribute (Sanger-Katz). The motto belonging to the deaf community is “the deaf can do anything but hear” (“Deaf, not I...
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.
The current hypothesis is that one of my genes is a mutated gene, that mutated gene is what is causing my hearing loss. If this is the real reason why I have hearing loss, there is also worry for what other problems does this mutated gene cause. With finding a mutated gene, they will most likely be able to predict how much worse my hearing will get. Another possible but not likely cause is a tumor, currently, I have to get an MRI to make sure that there is no growth inside of my head. If there is a growth, that will lead to some serious issues. The last possible cause is that loud noises have damaged my hearing, but it is even more less likely than a tumor. I am almost never exposed to loud music, concerts, or anything of that nature, which would causes hearing loss. Since I've been losing hearing since I was 5, they have practically ruled that one out because it makes no
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 an online transcript,“Through Deaf Eyes” (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007) there are thirty-five million Americans that are hard of hearing. Out of the thirty-five million an estimated 300,000 people are completely deaf. There are ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing parents (Halpern, C., 1996). 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” (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007). 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 (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007).
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
When people hear the word “deaf” many times they think of their grandparents or other elders who have lost their ability to hear due to old age. However today for every 1,000 children, at least 1 is considered to be deaf or heard of hearing (Honig, 177.) Deafness is a disability that is easily overlooked and misunderstood because it is not a disability that is easily observed. Helen Keller once said that, “Blindness cuts people off from things. Deafness cuts people off from people.” When a person is blind or need glasses society easily recognizes that in some cases special accommodati...
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
Being hearing-impaired is something I have dealt with my entire life; by the time I was five years old, putting on hearing aids in the morning was just as normal as brushing my teeth. As a result of a supportive family and friends, I never believed that being hearing-impaired should limit my success in any way.