Hearing Impairments

About hearing impairments

The term hearing impairment includes deafness and varying degrees of hearing loss. Most students with hearing impairments have some degree of residual hearing ability. The term hard of hearing refers to people who have hearing loss but still use the auditory channel as the primary mode for perceiving speech. Students who are completely deaf are usually educated in non-mainstream classrooms, but students who are hard of hearing are usually in general education settings.

Because hearing impairments are invisible handicaps and the prevalance of hearing impairments increases with age, teachers should be aware of the signs to look for in students who may be developing hearing impairments. These include speaking loudly, turning head to position ear closer to speaker, asking for information to be repeated, looking confused and having trouble following directions, not responding to when spoken, and withdrawal from classroom activities that involve listening. Students who exhibit symptoms of possible hearing impairments should be referred for formal auditory assessments.

Some links

• Cathrine's Tinnitus
• Children With a Hearing Loss - information for families with hard of hearing or deaf children.
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing - resource for the deaf and hard of hearing for communication, education, associations, entertainment, forums and services
• Deaf Information eXchange (DIX) - news and deaf-related websites links.
• Deaf Joke of the Month - some classic as well as fresh jokes about the Deaf community. New joke monthly!
• Deaf Resource Library - various research, resources and information concerning Deaf communities in the United States and Japan.
• Deaf Theaters
• Deaf World Web - central point on the Internet, providing A-to-Z information about the deaf around the world.
• Deafened People Page - selected writings and links related to acquired deafness and deafened people, with your host, Kathryn Woodcock.
• DeafNation - a nationwide full color cover newspaper for the deaf.
• DeafWeb Washington - resource for services, organizations, information for and about deafness.
• DeafZONE - culmination of deaf resources. You will not be alone again.
• Hearing Loss Resources - Information on hearing loss, and resources for hard of hearing and late-deafened adults.
• One Day - document of a day in the life of deaf culture with a collection of photographs taken around the world on May 1, 1997
• SilentViews - information on deaf issues and culture. A site for hearing, deaf, and hearing impaired.
• Technology Assessment Program - produce information for use by industry, government, and consumers in the area of visual communications by deaf and hard of hearing people.
• Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD) - information and instructions on using TDD.
• When Your Perfect Child is Deaf - a family's story
• Directory of State and Territory Programs and Services - contact information for governmental blind service programs throughout the United States.
• U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration