Hearing Loss In America

(n.d.). Part one: the deaf community and cochlear implants my child can have more choices: reflections of deaf mothers on cochlear implants for their children. Cochlear Implants: Evolving Perspectives. Retrieved February 09, 2018, from http://gupress.gallaudet.edu/excerpts/CIEP.html

Deafness is a condition spread around the whole world. In America alone over 30 million Americans have significant, chronic hearing loss and almost 2 million people that are completely deaf. And even though there are many people that are deaf, many hearing people know little to nothing about how deaf people live. Delving into the silent world reveals a great deal about the deaf community, deaf culture, and the largest controversy in the Deaf community.

Being able to hear is something I think most people take for granted. But what if you cannot hear? On July 15, 2015, I was afforded the opportunity to observe eight-year-old Braydon Smith and five-year-old Peyton Smith, who were born deaf. Their names were changed to protect their identity. Their younger sister, Mackenzie, whose name was also changed to protect her identity, did not have any issues with her hearing. I met with both boys and their mother, Sandra Smith, at a relative’s home in Belton, Texas. However, the family lives in Loganville, Georgia. I found both boys to be energetic, and playful. Their mother seemed excited to tell her sons’ stories. Present at the meeting was Sandra Smith,

The United States traditional majority consists of white, middle class individuals who speak English. We chose to focus on the United States in general because deafness is not associated with one state alone, but all over the world. Based on a survey taken between 1988 and 1994, 14.9% of children age six through nineteen experienced hearing loss (Hearing Loss in Children, 2015). Compared with the traditional majority, the children affected

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

The Deaf community and their culture is a part of the oppressed population group. There are many limitations of being deaf in a hearing world. The Deaf community has been victims of isolation and oppression for many years. Historically the hearing culture has put Deaf individuals in social categories such as “disable” and “outsiders” (Pinquart, Pfeiffer, 2014). However, many years of being deaf has been viewed as having an undesirable condition.

According to World Health Organization, in 2017, there was an estimated three hundred sixty million people worldwide; who had reported some type of hearing loss. While this may seem like a lot, it only makes up a little over five percent of world population. When talking to the general public, it is learned that most people have similar stories. Either they have never had an encounter with a Deaf person, or maybe they saw some people signing in the mall once. Because these occurrences are so few and far between, it is not surprising that our biological instincts take over. We fear the unknown, and we panic when we do not have solutions. Regardless of excuses; actions have consequences. From a very young age, we are lead to believe that when something is different, it is wrong. This mindset has an influence on how we view ourselves, as well as how we view others. Deaf people are labeled as handicapped from day one, and deafness is considered a disability. This creates a stigma that Deaf people are something to be feared, unintelligent, and need ‘fixing.’ Despite having strict laws with the American Disability Act, Deaf people are frequently mistreated. Sadly, most officials are not taught how to communicate with American Sign Language. It is not unheard of for a person to be falsely arrested, because they could not properly communicate with an officer. Patients in a hospital can receive improper care, because

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,

In mainstream American society, we tend to approach deafness as a defect. Helen Keller is alleged to have said, "Blindness cuts people off from things; deafness cuts people off from people." (rnib.org) This seems a very accurate description of what Keller's world must have been. We as hearing people tend to pity deaf people, or, if they succeed in the hearing world, admire them for overcoming a severe handicap. We tend to look at signing as an inferior substitute for "real" communication. We assume that all deaf people will try to lip-read and we applaud deaf people who use their voices to show us how far they have come from the grips of their disability. Given this climate, many hearing people are surprised, as I was at

If asked to give up one of their five senses, hearing loss for Mt. Pleasant TX residents would probably rank at the bottom of the list. Hearing is a priority because it facilitates simple communication, allows people to enjoy entertainment such as music and movies, and it connects them to the surrounding world. Think about it. What do you hear right now?

The world is full of noise and excessive noise exposure can cause hearing loss. There is more than 360 million of people are suffering from hearing losses (WHO) and in Canada, around 20% of the population of the total peoples have this problem (Static Canada). The reason for increasing the amount of hearing loss is because of the growing number of older people and the uncontrolled sounds. However, the static Canada shows us that, nearly 42 % peoples are at a risk of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), would benefit from putting hearing protection device (HPD). NIHL is becoming more common nowadays and two factors are more important to damage our inner and outer hair cell that is sound pressure level and the duration of exposed this noise by

Many people know about the definition of deafness, but others don’t know. “Deaf people, and the medical profession and the law don’t consider deafness a disability” (Norton & Company, 2016, p. 1). In contrast,” a ninety percent of deaf children are born to hearing parents and society who are consider deafness a disability” (Norton & Company, 2016, p. 1-2). Deafness is a hearing problem that affects people sense of hearing and is also known as audition. “Audition is a sensory mechanism enables us to determine what happened in our environment, and provides for spoken-language.” (Grison, Heatherton, & Gazzaniga, 2016, p. 175). For example, it allows us to process information as sounds like sirens, horns, and so on”. (Norton & Company, 2016, p.

Deafness: something not one human alive would want to face. According to the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), “one in five American teenagers already have some form of hearing loss. That is nearly 30% higher than it was in the 1980s and 1990s.” (par. one) Now, with the increase amount of music available and millions upon billions of videos to watch, it increases the amount of time people spend using earbuds and being on their phones. Most parents allow their children to use headphones freely, but what they do not know is that damage to the ears are slowly being done to their kids hearing health and there are no early signs to show it. Using earbuds is a now an effortless way listen to music without playing it aloud, consequently many

Hearing loss is the most common physical disability in the whole wide world. In the United States alone, about 28 million people have some level of hearing impairment that interferes with their ability to understand normal speech and participate in conversations. Another 2 million cannot hear at all.

Hearing loss is something that all ages are impacted with. No hearing means no acknowledgement of anything. A theif could break in a house or a train sign could be down. It gives me chills just to think about. My childhood friend is deaf and at night she removes her hearing aid attachment. She hears no sound all night, but the TV pictures make her feel safe.