Waving Won 't Help By Katherine Boulton

The documentary Sound and Fury by Roger Weisberg takes its views inside the rarely seen world of deaf culture for the family struggle over controversial medical technology known as the cochlear

In the autobiography Deaf Again, Mark Drolsbaugh writes about his life being born hearing, growing up hard of hearing, to eventually becoming deaf. By writing this book, he helps many people view from his perspective on what it is like for someone to struggle trying to fit in the hearing society. Through his early years, his eyes were closed to the deaf world, being only taught how to live in a hearing world. Not only does the book cover his personal involvement, but it covers some important moments in deaf history. It really is eye-opening because instead of just learning about deaf culture and deaf history, someone who lived through it is actually explaining their experiences.

According to Edwards, the Deaf community began to rise in response to the social view of deafness as a handicap rather than a difference that a whole “Deaf” community is characterized by. Their shared

The Deaf Community in America: History in the Making by Melvia M. Nomeland and Ronald E. Nomeland is a book written to describe the changes the Deaf community, with a capital “D”, has encountered throughout time. The authors mention, “By using the capital ‘D’ to refer to a community of people who share a language and culture and the lower case ‘d’ to refer to the audiological condition of hearing loss” (Nomeland 3). In this book we are taken through a time line on how the Deaf community’s life changed socially and educationally allowing them to live normally.

When people suffer from disabilities, they face many barriers and challenges in their life. This paper will highlight the interview of John Smith, an 86-year-old veteran, who suffers from tinnitus and severe hearing loss. He developed this about 25 years ago. The barriers he faces daily will be uncovered, and a plan will be formulated to help him overcome these barriers.

For eight hours, I got to step into the shoes of over 48 million Americans who live with a hearing loss. I had the opportunity to experience what it means to have an invisible impairment in a world made for those who have good hearing. The bright orange earplug served as my ticket to one of the most humbling adventures I have ever undertaken. I would have never imagined that a 32dB unilateral hearing loss would cause so much frustration. With frustration, however, came understanding and empathy. I am now confident that my experience will aid me in developing accurate expectations and treatment plans to my future clients.

What do you think of when you see the word “Hearing Loss”? Honestly, before doing research on this subject, the first thing that came to mind when I see this word is “Deaf”. Being ignorant to the fact that these are two completely different conditions. Surprisingly, I found that most people often confuse these words as well. There are several major causes of hearing loss and with in this writing we will discuss a few of them. Lack of knowledge is considered a cause because if everyone were more aware of the symptoms there would be a better outcome of the condition. Another known cause of hearing loss is noise induced hearing loss, which is cause mostly by being exposed to high decibels for a certain amount of time. High decibels can come from

It very important to understand all that goes a long with that deaf community and the way they work together. In the 1980 's and 90 's individuals from the Deaf group held meetings against the utilization of cochlear inserts, particularly in youthful kids (Sparrow). In a society outfitted only towards listening to persons, individuals from the Deaf group are seen by

One example of our hearing being affected is by noise. Everyday we live our life with many different noises coming from all over the place.Hearing loss from noise can happen to anybody at any age. Close to 24% of American adults from ages 20 - 60 have shown hearing loss from one or both ears during hearing test due to loud noises. As this starts to happen you may realize your hearing becoming more muffled.

It is estimated that 48 million people have some form of hearing loss; most of these individuals are between the ages of 20 and 69. Adults should establish a baseline test as early as possible in order to receive the proper care and treatment if hearing loss does occur later in life.

When a deaf child is born, the first thing the parents hear in the hospital is “your child had failed the hearing test”. A baby is five hours old and he has failed something already! What about the term ‘hearing loss’? That word evokes that hearing is norm and deaf as less than, lacking. The deaf do not believe that being deaf has taken away something, but added to their lives. Being deaf gives you a community, gives you friends anywhere you go. It also gives you perspective, a way of seeing the world that is different from anyone else. Moreover, it gives you identity, as hearing do not know who they are. The deaf do not think that they have it as hard as we –hearing- might think. In brief, not hearing loss, but deaf gain.

Mark Drolsbaugh spent the better part of his childhood trapped in between two worlds, neither of which he felt at ease. Transitioning from hearing to deaf and everything it involves, Mr. Drolsbaugh has certainly seen it all. Deaf Again focuses predominantly on the story of a deaf boy, attempting to conform to the lifestyle that was comfortable for everyone else surrounding him; to a shameless, culturally Deaf man sharing his experiences and viewpoints with the nation. Drolsbaugh discusses heavy topics such as education, acceptance, awareness, and self- perseverance. He goes on to give his opinions and ideas on cochlear implants, how to raise a deaf child, and fusing the two communities (Deaf and hearing).

People who have lost their hearing later in life or who have a progressive hearing loss need assistance in dealing with inevitable emotions such as stress, fear, and anger. Parents of children with congenital hearing loss go through a similar experience in order to come to terms with the hearing loss of their child. Andrews, Leigh, and Weiner (2004) describe how feelings of inadequacy stem from social norms of labeling anything different as abnormal, therefor less. When measuring everything to an “unattainable ideal of perfection,” deaf adults fall short. Changing the view of people to see hearing loss as something different instead of negative, the stigma towards hearing loss will diminish and our patients can be seen as psychologically healthy deaf adults. Though hearing loss does take a toll psychologically, if dealt with in the correct way for that individual they can be just as productive and happy in life than adults with normal hearing

Age: As we get older, nerve cells inside the ear either get damaged or die, diminishing our ability to hear. About a third of people ages 65-74 suffer from age-related hearing loss. The ratio becomes one in every two seniors once they are 75 or older. It’s also

Hearing loss can occur at any age, but this mostly affect children and young adults. Approximately 15 percent of Americans between the ages of 20 and 69, 26 million Americans have some form of hearing loss due to high exposure occurring in places of work or recreational activities. About 16% of teens have experience some form of hearing loss caused by loud noise according to a 2010 report based on a survey from the centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC).