...THE NATURE OF DEAFNESS DEFINITION OF DEAFNESS Deafness is one of the largest categories of impairment in South Africa and encompasses the full spectrum of hearing loss – from mild loss of hearing to total deafness – yet as an invisible impairment it is often misunderstood and the severity of its impact upon both the child and his family is underestimated. It is believed that a better understanding of the concept ‘deafness’ will enable non-specialist educators to develop more effective classroom practices. Although deafness is a multifaceted concept which, due to the complex nature of the condition, cannot be easily defined, Myklebust (1997:12) defined the term deaf as referring to those individuals in whom the sense of hearing is non-functional for the ordinary purposes of life. Deafness can also be described as the physical impairment that results in those affected by it being unable to hear, and usually brings to mind the need for hearing aids, speech therapy and the use of signing and gestures as a means of communication. THE NATURE OF DEAFNESS In order to understand the concept ‘deafness’, the concept ‘hearing’ must be understood. Hearing, which is sometimes referred to as audition, involves the gathering and interpreting of sounds. Each part of the ear serves a purpose in translating sound waves from the environment into meaningful information to the brain. The outer ear is called pinna. It is the first point of contact between the individual and the...
Words: 1573 - Pages: 7
...Labeling deafness as a disability fails to acknowledge the social process through which a Deaf child could become ostracized and excluded from society. It is commonly argued that if a child becomes isolated, it was the fault of the disability itself, not the society as large. Historically, the dominant hearing culture has demoted Deaf people to social categories such as handicapped, disabled, and outsider (Kelleher, 2017). An ever-increasing number of Deaf people do not consider themselves to be handicapped or disabled, but demand to be recognized and respected as a distinct cultural group with its own beliefs, needs, opinions, customs and language (Padden, 2006). The Deaf Community disputes deafness as a disability and they are currently...
Words: 1604 - Pages: 7
...That Cause Deafness Types of Diseases and How They Cause Deafness For Adults One of the most common diseases that can cause hearing loss is called Otosclerosis. Otosclerosis is a condition caused by an unusual bone remodeling in the middle ear. During Otosclerosis, this remodeling process disrupts the ability of sound to travel from the middle ear to the inner ear. This disease typically causes conductive hearing loss, which occurs when sound is not conducted efficiently or effectively through the outer ear canal to the eardrum and the ossicles of the middle ear. This disease affects more than three million people in the United States, and in most cases, Otosclerosis is passed down from parents. Another common disease that causes deafness is Vertigo. Vertigo can be one of two ways, peripheral or central. Peripheral vertigo is the cause of deafness. This is due to a problem found within the inner ear. Vertigo occurs when the inner ear becomes inflamed because of illness, small crystals, or stones typically found within the inner ear, which can cause irritation to the small hair cells found deep within the inner ear. One disease that goes hand in hand with Vertigo is Meniere's...
Words: 1157 - Pages: 5
...Page 413 S: Page 413 is mainly about a story of a family's experience with their young child that has a hearing impairment. E: I can only imagine how difficult it would be to have a child with a hearing impairment. The story talked about how it was so difficult to get the child to wear the hearing aids and how the child would have to turn them off around loud people or alarms because if she didn't it would give her a headache. It must also be difficult for a child to get used to because children can be so mean sometimes, and I am sure it was difficult for the child to finally embrace her hearing aids. E: I don't have experience with any hearing impaired students, but the story that was told really informed me about how some students...
Words: 796 - Pages: 4
... visual, or hearing impairments; speech impairments; chronic illnesses such as AIDS, diabetes, and lupus; seizure disorders; head injuries; painful conditions such as back injuries and carpal tunnel syndrome; psychological disabilities such as bipolar disorder and severe anxiety or depression; attention deficit disorder; and learning disabilities. Whether they are disabled or not, every child has the right to be educated and it is the duty of the society to make sure that every student has access to equal educational opportunities, and the duty of teachers to ensure that every student participate actively and freely in class. More important it is the teachers’ duty to meet the needs of disabled learners in their classrooms. Even if studying the needs of all the students who suffer from the disabilities listed above would have been great, in this learning reflection the focus will only be on the blind, deaf and epileptic disabled students and how their needs should be met in high education Brief definition of epilepsy, deafness and blindness disabilities Epilepsy: Gretchen Timmel (2006) defined it as a neurological condition, which affects the nervous system. Epilepsy is also known as a seizure disorder. It is usually diagnosed after a person has had at least two seizures that were not caused by some known medical condition like alcohol withdrawal, extremely low blood sugar, heart problems or some other medical condition. Deafness: is the inability of hearing sounds either...
Words: 2480 - Pages: 10
...and Epistemology When considering the epistemology of deafness, one must consider the history of how deafness has evolved. The history of deafness comes from the ignorance of those who could not understand how people who had a disability were different from them. It was easier to place these types of “folks” in intuitions and not deal with their needs. Understanding the deaf community comes through understanding the culture and the history that allows the deaf to have a “voice” and provide them with the necessary services that make the deaf more human. Through mental health, hearing assessments, and trauma, there is an understanding that even though they may not live in the hearing world, there are still apart of society. How they function as a community is important, as they too have a voice. Deafhood is described as “static”, not a medical condition; however, it is a process-a struggle that is endured by every child, adult, and family to explain themselves, and each other their own existence within their world (Hauser, O’Hearn, Steider, &Thew, 2010). Epistemology can be defined as the philosophy that investigates the origin, nature, methods, and limits to human knowledge. When dealing with deaf epistemology, there are many facets to which it can be understood and misunderstood. The authors discuss the visual learning process that a Deaf child goes through by being raised by either a Deaf parent or a hearing parent. A child that is raised by a Deaf parent can connect...
Words: 3079 - Pages: 13
...diagnose, measure and rehabilitate hearing impairments. Audiometer: an instrument for gauging and recording acuity of hearing Cochlea: a spiral-shaped cavity forming a division of the internal ear in humans and in most other mammals. Communication: the act or process of communicating; fact of being communicated Conductive: having the property or capability of conducting Deaf: partially or wholly lacking or deprived of the sense of hearing; unable to hear Disability: a physical or mental handicap, especially one that prevents a person from living a full, normal life or from holding a gainful job. Ear Canal: the narrow, tube like passage through which sound enters the ear. Hearing Impairment: a reduction or defect in the ability to perceive sound. Hearing Aid: a compact electronic amplifier worn to improve one’s hearing, usually placed in or behind the ear. Mild Deafness: mild hearing loss is typically classified as a hearing loss of around 26 to 45 decibels. Moderate Deafness: people with moderate deafness have some difficulty in following speech in most settings, but can generally. Meningitis: the inflammation of the meninges around the brain and spinal cord is called as meningitis. It leads to swelling around the brain and spinal cord, leading to headache, stiff neck and fever. Neural: of or pertaining to a nerve or the nervous system Otitis Externa: inflammation of the external ear. Profound Hearing: 80 or Db or more difficulty hearing and understanding, even with...
Words: 438 - Pages: 2
...the special senses are Age related macular disease, glaucoma, cataracts, detaches retina, deafness, Meniere’s disease, and Ataxia. Each caused from something different and each effecting everyday life of an individual. Age related Macular disease is also referred to as Macular degeneration. It is the leading cause of vision loss in people over 50. It is caused from damage done the macular which is the smallest part on the retina. Once damage is done to the macula, the individual’s eyesight may become dark, discolored, blurry, or distorted. This causes overall eyesight loss and damage to everyday eyesight. Glaucoma, is increased pressure inside the eyes. Intraocular pressure is the increased pressure overtime, the increased pressure causes damage to the optic nerve in which images are transmitting through the optic nerve to the brain. Damage from glaucoma causes blindness. This typically occurs in individuals over the age of 40 whose aqueous humor is not flowing properly. Cataracts is the clouding of the eye lenses typically causing blurred or discolored vision. Individuals who develop cataracts usually have one or more previous eyesight issues. Cataracts is treated with a surgery that removes the clouded lenses and replaces it with a clear one. Detached Retina, is when the retina is detached from its connective tissue, thusly being unable to function, causing permanent vision loss. Detached Retina is often noticed when the individual sees spots, flashes of light and quick...
Words: 506 - Pages: 3
...can be identified, to develop a general strategy and establish good teaching practice when working with children that have hearing difficulties. To understand the importance of early identification of partial deafness whilst understanding the implications of having a hearing disability in relation to peers and child interaction. The primary school I currently work at is situated within a council estate on the outskirts of Liverpool. The majority of the children enrolled at the school come from low income families and of mainly white race. I had been working as a higher level teaching assistant in year 1 for just over 2 years, when myself and Mrs Clarke (class teacher) were informed that a new pupil would be joining the class in 2 months time. At first, I felt excited that a new child would be joining the class but that excitement quickly diminished as I was told that the child was in fact deaf. I felt immediately nervous and full of anxiety, I pondered on how I could possibly teach a deaf child as I would not know where to begin. I felt incompetent and began to question whether I would be capable to take on such a responsibility. I was unaware about the different aspects of deafness and felt tense about how I could make a deaf child understand my teaching. #I learned that Daisy, aged 6, was born with impartial hearing but used a permanent hearing aid. She had studied at a local special school prior to being integrated into St Albert’s. The reasons for the integration...
Words: 3387 - Pages: 14
...four movements: Allegro con brio, Andante con moto, Scherzo: Allegro, and Allegro. I enjoyed the piece as a whole because depicts the steps of grief Beethoven experiences as he copes with the loss of his hearing. The first movement is generally very dramatic. The popular theme is loud and haunting, portraying the initial fear Beethoven feels when he learns about his approaching deafness. In the second movement, the strings and woodwinds are more prominent. The overall feel is much calmer than the first movement. In this movement, I don’t think the trumpets represent his deafness but rather a small victory as he learns to work with his deafness and perhaps discovers a new way to “hear” music. The third movement is faster paced than the second and much happier. An intricate string section is followed by very soft decrescendo-- almost silence. A wind and strings section then takes over which I believe represents some sort of navigation towards the beauty of his newfound talent. The third movement ends very softly, almost sad, as he finally lets go of his hearing once and for all. The third movement basically represents the acceptance of his deafness. Lastly, the fourth movement features a very loud trumpet section, which I believe represents his final triumph; he has overcome his deafness and continues to write beautiful music. I really liked the entire piece because it has been the most expressive listening example we have heard in class. I felt like I could almost see Beethoven’s...
Words: 286 - Pages: 2
...The purpose of this paper is to discuss how to live with hearing loss and methods to cope with the emotional, psychological, and social effects of a hearing loss. The physical aspects of hearing impairment, including hearing mechanisms and how the ear functions are also discussed. The topic is important because understanding the various causes of hearing loss in addition to methods and resources to help with coping with a hearing loss will assist in improving communication with family members, friends, co-workers and complete strangers resulting in a better quality of life. This paper is organized into seven sections. Section one will discuss how hearing loss affect people in the U.S.; the physical parts of the human ear; how the ear functions, and different types of hearing loss. Section two will discuss the psychological, (i.e., social and emotional) effects of hearing loss. Section three will discuss how hearing loss can effect relationships. Section four will discuss where to seek medical help. Section five will discuss the pros and cons of hearing aids and associated cost. Section six will discuss tinnitus (ringing or roaring in the ear), and my personal experience coping with tinnitus and hearing loss. Section seven will present the conclusion. People of all ages suffer from hearing loss and in particular as a result of noise damage, whereby “many cases of hearing loss – at least 10 million of the 28 million total cases in the U.S. – are a result...
Words: 2532 - Pages: 11
...Noise induced hearing loss, what do we know about it? How do we hear? First, the sound vibrates the eardrum and the eardrum in turn vibrates the little bones we call the hammer, anvil and the stirrup. This vibration is sent to the cochlea, which is shaped like a snail and filled with fluid. This fluid starts to ripple and the little hairs, located on the inner surfaces of the cochlea, detect the waves and transmit the electrical signals to the auditory nerve and on to the brain to be decoded resulting in hearing. The mechanics of the ear are much more complex than this description but you get the gist. Loud sounds, over time, causes the fine hairlike projections that are in the choclea to die and they do not regenerate so the hearing loss is permanent and irreversible. And sound itself is measured in decibles (or dB) and the common range is from 0 dB which is the threshold of hearing to 140 dB which is the sound of a jet taking off or a rock band. We've all used headphones at one time or another. Did you ever think about hearing loss due to your use of headphones? I know that I never did. But we know that heavy machine, lawn mower, and jackhammer operators all use foam earplugs in their ears to block the noise. According to the NIH, (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, Noise Induced Hearing Loss, NIH Pub. No. 14-4233, Updated March 2014) noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) can happen immediately or gradually over time. In order for...
Words: 1014 - Pages: 5
...Hearing Assistive Devices There are several types of hearing loss, which can lead to the need for a hearing assistive device. The types of hearing loss are as follows: Conductive hearing loss, Sensorineural hearing loss, Mixed hearing loss, Central and Functional hearing loss. Conductive hearing loss is when there is not enough sound getting thorough the outer and middle ear. Sensitivity to sound is diminished, but clarity is not changed as long as the sound is loud. Sensorineural hearing loss, sound is flowing normal through the outer and middle ear, but there is impairment in the inner ear auditory nerve (CN VIII) causing hearing loss. A problem with sensorineural lose is that sound is heard, but the person doesn’t understand speech. Mixed hearing loss is a combination of conductive and sensorineural. Central hearing loss is a problem in the central nervous system involving the inability to interpret sound. Functional hearing loss is caused by an emotional or psychological factor in which there is no physical finding of hearing loss (Lewis et al., 2011) Mosby and Elsevier (2009) (Crusse & Kent, 2013). To determine the type of hearing loss, type of hearing device needed and proper fit, there are different doctors with different levels of education a person can see. Choosing a correct hearing specialist is important. An Audiologist can identify and access hearing disorders. They can also select and correctly fit hearing aids. Audiologists can also program cochlear...
Words: 2020 - Pages: 9
...Chapter 7 Nonverbal code and cultural space there are certain aspects of the culture and its relationship to nonverbal activity. Personal–contextual and the static–dynamic dia- lectics. Although nonverbal communication can be highly dynamic, personal space, gestures, and facial expressions are fairly static patterns of specific non- verbal communication codes. Their interpretation will vary depending upon its context and culture that it is being communicated to. The chapter talks about how different the dynamics of intercultural nonverbal communication are across different cultural groups. In this ICC artifact assignment we will examine and look at the topic of The Cochlear implant controversy. The controversy involves the scientific hearing assistance breakthrough device for the deaf community, and whether or not its use and development will be the ultimate removal of and extinction of the deaf community as a culture. The following essay will examine the relevance and truth to this argument and examine the negative and positive manifestations to the Deaf culture from the development and use of the Cochlear Implant itself. The Chapter talks about several research findings about nonverbal communication. Research investigating the universality of nonverbal communication has focused on four areas: (1) the relationship of human behavior to that of primates (particularly chimpanzees) (p. (2) nonverbal communication of sensory-deprived children who are blind or deaf, (3) facial...
Words: 1196 - Pages: 5
...Ryan Lane Ryan Thomas Lane was born on November 23, 1987 to parents William and Jill Lane. Ryan was born deaf and when he was only 2 weeks old he was diagnosed with congenital nerve deafness. Congenital nerve deafness is a defect on the auditory nerve in the cochlea which may be present at birth or acquired during or soon after birth. Usually both inner ears are effected to the same extent. In Ryan’s case congenital nerve deafness was either caused by kernicterus (a lack of oxygen during a prolonged pregnancy, where the baby becomes jaundiced,) or was inherited from failure of the cochlea to develop properly. His sisters Hayley and Kristen both knew sign language, and tried to teach their parents and Ryan also. Though they knew ASL, they knew nothing about the background and culture of the Deaf Community. When Ryan was 6 years old he started learning ASL. He soon realized that he did not like ASL and decided to use SEE (signed exact English). Ryan’s father, William, was hard-of-hearing but his mother and sisters were both hearing. Ryan Lane won the worlds heart by communicating through SEE, his recurring role in ABC’s hit drama “Switched at Birth,” and by participating in the charity “Dogs for the Deaf” Ryan Lane knew American Sign Language but preferred to use SEE. When he was younger his parents wanted him to learn to read lips, so they sent him through speech auditory training. It was hard for him to learn anything because he could not focus, and he did not understand...
Words: 789 - Pages: 4
