Deaf Awareness Week 5th – 11th May 2008.
Being deaf or hard of hearing means different things to different people, but the Royal national Institute for deaf People (RNID) have definite meanings for the following:
Deaf people – a general term for talking about people with all degrees of hearing loss
Hard of hearing people – those with mild to severe hearing loss, most having lost their hearing gradually
Deafened people – those who were born hearing and became severely or profoundly deaf after learning to speak
Deafblind people – who will often have some hearing or vision, but some will be totally deaf and totally blind
The deaf community – those whose first or preferred language is British Sign Language
There are around 9 million deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK, a figure which is rising as the number of people over 60 years old rises. Most of these developed their hearing loss as they grew older.
What are the causes of deafness?
Presbycusis – age related hearing loss. This is the commonest and affects many older people
Certain diseases such as mumps or meningitis
Some drugs, e.g. aspirin in high doses or certain antibiotics called aminoglycosides
Frequent exposure to loud noise (beware loud music systems and remember to wear ear defenders if operating loud machinery – even in your own home)
Serious head injury
Rubella caught by your mother whilst you are in the womb
Prematurity or as a result of a difficult labour
Some medical conditions e.g. Menieres disease
Repeated infections
There are two main types of deafness:
Conductive, where the problem is with the sound being carried to the inner ear from outside
Sensorineural, where the problem is with the nerves related to hearing
Some people may have some of each in varying amounts in each ear!
Hearing aids can help some people, but are probably underutilised in the UK.
How can deaf people communicate?
This is the main thrust of the Deaf Awareness Week which is also titled “Look at me”.
Some people with a mild loss may use a hearing aid or find lipreading helpful
People with moderate loss will find it difficult to hear what is being said without a hearing aid, particularly if there is a lot of background noise.
People who are severely deaf may have difficulty following a conversation even with a hearing aid. Many lipread and some use sign language or need other communication support.
Some people who are profoundly deaf may find hearing aids are of little benefit and rely on British Sign Language.
Everyone lipreads to some extent especially when there is a lot of background noise. You know yourself that if someone has their back to you and is speaking it can be difficult to understand what they are saying unless they turn to face you, even though the volume of speech is the same.
If you are talking to someone who is lipreading, remember that it takes a lot of skill and concentration for that person and can be very tiring. Many words look similar on the lips and some sounds are made in the mouth and have no shape at the lips. You need to face that person so that they can see the shapes your mouth is making. Don’t look away, or hide your mouth behind your hand. Even if they are not formally lipreading, it will always help a deaf person if you look at them when you are speaking.
Remember deafness is not a visible disability. Some hearing aids are so small that they are not immediately obvious. It is actually good manners to look at someone when you are speaking to them and if that person does have a hearing problem, you will make communication a great deal easier.
If you would like to know more about hearing problems, there is a wealth of information at the RNID’s website www.rnid.org.uk .
If you think you are becoming deaf an audiogram (a test of your hearing) can be easily arranged at your GP surgery.