Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Hearing loss can have many emotional and social consequences including social isolation, depression, safety issues, mobility limitations and reduced income and employment opportunities. In children and youth, there is evidence that hearing loss negatively affects academic performance and language development needed for classroom learning and vocational achievement. In older adults, hearing loss has also been shown to be associated with poor quality of life and functional limitations. Among seniors, loneliness and social isolation are common problems which are unfortunately only exacerbated by hearing loss. Many seniors become frustrated with their efforts to hear and understand, especially in noisy environments. As a result they avoid activities, people and places they once enjoyed. With an aging society, the number of persons with hearing loss will grow, increasing the demand for related services. Laura Prong of the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS) works as a case manager in supportive housing for people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Oral Deaf, and have mental health issues. Veronica Bickle is a General Support Services Counsellor for the CHS. In this video, they explain the mission of the Canadian Hearing Society to remove barriers to communication for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Oral Deaf and Deafened people in our communities. They introduce the various support services offered and provide an understanding of the tools and strategies available for communicating with the Deaf. Questions for Further Consideration: 1. What is the proper terminology to use with reference to difficulties with hearing? According to the Canadian Hearing Society, the following guidelines are provided regarding terminology: Avoid: Use: Hearing impaired Deaf Deaf & dumb oral deaf Deaf mute hard of hearing Hearing disabilities deafened people with hearing loss How do the Deaf develop their own community and culture? The single fact of being Deaf usually entails a whole set of shared experiences among deaf people. With reference to those who have been deaf since childhood, the vast majority attend residential schools where the students eat, sleep, study and play together. Throughout their school and adult years, deaf people are also drawn together by sport activities and social events for deaf people. Special tours, newsletters, school reunions, and conventions are other means of drawing deaf people together. The result of this continuous contact in academic, social, and job-related situations is that deaf people have formed a cohesive and mutually supportive community. Approximately 90% of deaf people have hearing parents. Those parents use a verbal language (English), a language that the deaf child cannot hear or learn with ease. It is at school, with peers, that most personal and social information-sharing occurs and where close relationships are established through a language especially shaped for the eyes rather than the ears - language passed on by deaf parents whose children then teach it to other deaf children. At the heart of every community is language. This language embodies the thoughts and experiences of its users who, in turn, learn about their culture and share it with their peers. Thus, deaf people learn about their own culture and share their experience with each other through American Sign Language (ASL). Reference: NL Association of the Deaf What is the Deaf community? (http://www.nlad.org/what-is-the-deaf-community) What technologies are used to assist in communication with the Deaf? Access to a variety of Technologies has greatly enhanced the communication with and among those who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. TTY: A Telecommunications device used when phoning; place the telephone handset on the TTY coupler. You and the caller who has the TTY will type back and forth, using GA (go ahead) to signal to the other person to type, and SKSK (stop keying) to end the conversation. Aliant Relay Services (ARS): Enable TTY users to place calls to or receive calls from non-TTY users, with the assistance of a relay service communicator. TTY to voice: 711 Cell Phone: allows telephone calls that support a wide variety of services such as text messaging, email and internet access. Computer: personal computers have connections to the Internet, allowing access to the World Wide Web (www) and a wide range of other resources such as YouTube and Skype where you can see Deaf people signing ASL in video. Closed Captioning: Process of displaying text on a television to provide interpretive information to individuals. Sign Language Interpreter: Facilitate communication between persons (Deaf and hard of hearing) who use sign language and persons who do not use sign language. For many Deaf people, this is a customary means of communication. Reference: NL Association of the Deaf What is the Deaf community? (http://www.nlad.org/what-is-the-deaf-community) What services are provided by the Canadian Hearing Society? The Canadian Hearing Society offers the following services: Hearing Healthcare Services - hearing tests, hearing aid sales, support for people living with hearing loss Education Programs - sign language instruction, literacy training, information and public awareness Employment Consulting - assistance with job search, employment support, employment resources Counselling Services - outreach and counselling to older adults, general and mental health counselling, addiction and court diversion services, outreach to children, youth and families Accessibility Services - ASL and LSQ interpreting, Communication Access Real-time Translation, “CART”, communication devices, workplace accessibility consulting, conference accessibility coordination, video conferencing Glossary: Culturally Deaf: Individuals who use American Sign Language (ASL) as their primary language and have their own culture and community Oral deaf: Individuals with severe to profound hearing loss who use speech-reading to communicate; most people with this condition do not use ASL Hard of hearing: Individuals may be born with partial hearing loss, or may develop a loss later in life. Hearing loss may be mild to severe. Some people prefer to use ASL while others choose oral communication. Deafened: Severe or profound hearing loss gradually or later in life; usually don’t know ASL or speech-reading; Many seniors belong in this category. ASL: American Sign Language - has its own grammar and syntax (word order) distinct from spoken language; not a universal sign language; many countries have their own sign language TTY: stands for ‘Text Telephone’ or ‘Tele Typewriter’ which is telecommunications devise used by the deaf or hard of hearing; individuals will type back and forth using this device in order to communicate. When typing a message, the letters GA (go ahead) are used to signal to the other person to type, and SKSK (stop keying) used to end the conversation. Links to additional resources: Programs and Services | Canadian Hearing Society CHHA: Canadian Hard of Hearing Association Hearing loss of Canadians, 2012 and 2013 NL Association of the Deaf What is the Deaf community? http://www.abouttty.com/ (http://abouttty.com/) Canadian Association of the Deaf - Association des Sourds du Canada Home - Deaf Ontario Browse all services | Your Legal Rights - Information for People in Ontario Deaf Child Worldwide - Causes of deafness