1 Deaf awareness

1.1 Definitions

The concept of deafness encompasses a broad spectrum of types or deafness and severity. An individual can be born deaf or they may experience hearing loss during their life through illness, exposure to loud noises, or as a consquence of old age. Before going any further, it is important to define the key definitions of deafness.

Deaf –‘Deaf’ written in a capital D is usually used to refer to those who associate themselves with the Deaf community. They have a strong Deaf identity and use BSL as their preferred language.

deaf – ‘deaf’ with a lower case ‘d’ is typically used as a medical reference to indicate a person is deaf.

Hard of hearing– is used when an individual has partially lost their hearing.

Deafened – is usually associated with an adult who has lost their hearing over time.

Deafblind – is used when a person has some degree of both hearing and sight loss.

Tinnitus – Tinnitus (pronounced ti-ni-tis), or ‘ringing in the ears’, is the sensation of hearing ringing, buzzing, hissing, chirping, whistling, or other sounds. The noise can be intermittent or continuous, and can vary in loudness.

Activity 1 Reading the signs

Timing: Allow about 10 minutes

What would be some of the signs that would indicate that a person has a degree of hearing loss?

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Answer

Some of the signs that would indicate that somebody has difficulty hearing are as follows. The person might:

  • study your mouth while you are talking to them (lip-reading)
  • not respond or not take any notice when you are talking to them
  • use sign language as their preferred communication method
  • misunderstand you when you are talking
  • wear a device such as a cochlear implant or hearing aid
  • ask you to repeat yourself
  • laugh inappropriately, if they feel embarrassed to ask to you to repeat again.

It is important to recognise that there are many differences in the severity of the hearing loss. It is also important to appreciate that some individuals may feel confident about acknowledging their deafness whereas others may be less forthcoming.

Did you know?

…On average, it takes someone 10 years to not only admit that they have a hearing loss and, more importantly, do something about it!

This is predominately due to the elder generation being in denial of having a hearing loss.

A simple black outline of an ear on a yellow post-it note.

1.2 Facts and figures on deafness