Chapter 13

Chapter 13 - Hard of Hearing, Deaf, and Deafblind

What Is It? Hard of Hearing ● not able to hear well. ● Individuals who have difficulty understanding speech through their ears either with or without amplification Deaf ● lacking the power of hearing or having impaired hearing; insufficient comprehension of auditory info with or without a hearing aid Deafblind ● having a severe impairment of both hearing and vision; sensory channels are distorted Hard of Hearing ● Can Hear Speech up close ● Accommodations needed if farther ● Hearing loss varies from slight to moderate Deaf Deafblind Characteristics ● Severe/ Profound level of hearing loss ● ASL used ● Motor, behavioral, and culture very affected ● Hearing loss so profound person is unable to process language through hearing ● Limited or no field of vision ● Hard of hearing AND partially sighted ● Needs tactile communication ● Totally blind and deaf is rare Deafblind ● Mild ● Moderate ● Moderate-severe

  • Athletes are not classified according to their degree of hearing loss. Everyone with a hearing loss   of 55dB or greater in their better ear can compete against each other   Hard of Hearing   Deaf

Sport Classifications ● Mild ● Moderate ● Moderate-severe ● Severe ● Profound *Athletes are not classified according to their degree of hearing loss. Everyone with a hearing loss of 55dB or greater in their better ear can compete against each other ● Class B1 - From no light perception in either eye to light perception, but an inability to recognise the shape of a hand at any distance or in any direction. ● Class B2 - Ability to recognise objects up to a distance of 2 metres. ● Class B3 - Can recognise contours between 2 and 6 metres away. ● Same deaf classifications Degrees of Severity Statistics/Prevalence Case Laws ADA - Under the ADA individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing are entitled to the same services law enforcement provides to anyone else, and that they may not be excluded or segregated from services, denied services, or otherwise be treated differently than others. Also under this act there may be no discrimination in the workforce because of an individuals disabilities. ACCA - Under the Air Carriers Access Act accommodations for persons with disabilities by US and foreign airlines must be met. Such as the televisions must have closed captioning and a service dog can accompany the owner. Under the Fair Housing Act, public and private housing must not discriminate against people with disabilities and must allow them to make reasonable accommodation to the living space for their disability. The Hearing Aid Compatibility Act requires all telephones be hearing aid compatible, clearly labeled, and ANSI rated. A rating of 6b or better means excellent performance with hearing aids. IDEA - This act provides free, and appropriate early intervention services from birth to 3 years old, as well as coverage during school years from about 3 years old to 21 years old. Causes of Hearing Loss Overarching: Presbycusis, Injury, & Loud Noises Three types of hearing loss ● Conductive ○ Serous Otitis Media (Middle Ear Effusion) ○ Blockage ○ Perforated Eardrum (Trauma) ○ Otosclerosis (Genetic) ● Sensorineural ○ Congenital (Genetic) ○ Meniere’s Disease

○ Vestibular Schwannoma/Acoustic Neuroma (Cancer) ○ Meningitis ○ Medications (Ototoxicity) ● Mixed Causes of Deafness ⅔ Congenital ● Hereditary ● Genetic ⅓ Acquired ● Injury/Trauma ● Prenatal Infection: Herpes Virus & Toxoplasmosis ● Infections: Meningitis & Encephalitis ● Repeated Exposure to Loud Noises ● Aging (Presbycusis) Causes of Deafblindness Characteristics Social/Emotional ● Social withdrawals ● Drop in self-esteem ● Lower confidence ● Difficulty communicating with others Physical and Motor ● Muffling of speech ● Deficits in balance ● General dynamic coordination ● Difficulty understanding words Health concerns ● Loneliness, self isolation, depression ● Falls ● Cardiovascular disease ● Diabetes ● Mortality ● Cognitive impairment and dementia Instructional Methods: Classroom Hard of Hearing ● Accomodations can be made to make sure the student is close to the teacher for best experience. ● Hearing aids and other technology can be utilized even an ASL interpreter. Deaf ● ASL interpreter or ASL trained teacher will be used and much more visual learning strategies such as Powerpoints and things written out.

Deafblind ● Utilize much more tactile ways of learning though sign language can be used if visual impairment allows. ● Tactile sign, tracking, tactile fingerspelling print on palm and Braille also great ways. Instructional Methods: PE/Adaptive Sport ● Deaf athletes are actually those that require the least amount of accommodations as well as being the first to compete against able bodied athletes. ● Many professional athletes are hearing impaired and most will not know because they find a solution around it or utilize a hearing aid of some sort. ● Certain sports and activities are better suited with those that have less sight or hearing such as swimming, beepball and goalball. ● The same strategies that are used in a classroom settings can be applied to instructing sport or PE with visual cues being big for those with hearing impairments and tactile strategies for those that are deafblind. Sports Organizations Sports Organizations that support deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind The Deaflympics has four regional organizations:

  1. European Deaf Sports Association: Membership includes European countries such as Turkey,    Italy, Germany, and Greece
  2. Pan American Deaf Sports Organization: For deaf athletes in North and South America
  3. Confederation of African Deaf Sports: For participating African countries
  4. Asia Pacific Deaf Sports Confederation: For participating Asian countries    International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD)    ❖Organize the international Deaflympics and other World Deaf Championships    ❖Promotes and develops opportunities for sports and competition for deaf athletes globally    World Federation of the Deaf    ❖Cooperate with international organizations to foster work with the Deaf Community around    the world    Sports Organizations Cont.    Sports held by organizations    Deaf Golf: a non-profit organization that aims to promote the sport of golf among deaf and hardof-    hearing golfers worldwide and to oversee the World Deaf Golf Championships (The World Deaf    Golf Federation (WDGF))    Judo: This is the world’s most popular martial art for athletes with visual impairments. It is based on    the same skills, movements, tactics, and respect as the sighted version of the sport, and athletes    rely on their senses and instincts to overcome their opponents. (International Blind Sports    Federation (IBSA))    Chess: This sport allows sighted and visually impaired players to play against each other. A player    may request the use of two boards. The sighted player will use a regular board, while the player    with a visual impairment may use an adapted one (International Chess Federation)

Multiple Choice

Is there a difference between hard of hearing and Deaf?

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 Is the term deafblindness literal? What Degree of Hearing Loss is 71-90 dB? What Committee organize the Deaflympics and World Deaf Championships ? What are two common activities/sports played by the hearing impaired or deafblind community? (Select two)