Hearing Impairment:
What Is Hearing Impairment? Hearing impairment occurs when there's a problem with or damage to one or more parts of the ear.
- Conductive hearing loss results from a problem with the outer or middle ear, including the ear canal, eardrum, or ossicles. A blockage or other structural problem interferes with how sound gets conducted through the ear, making sound levels seem lower. In many cases, conductive hearing loss can be corrected with medications or surgery.
- Sensorineural (pronounced: sen-so-ree-nyour-ul) hearing lossresults from damage to the inner ear (cochlea) or the auditory nerve. The most common type is caused by the outer hair cells not functioning correctly. The person has trouble hearing clearly, understanding speech, and interpreting various sounds. This type of hearing loss is permanent. It may be treated with hearing aids.
In most severe cases, both outer and inner hair cells aren't working correctly. This is also a type of permanent hearing loss and can be treated with a cochlear implant. In some other cases, the outer hair cells work correctly, but the inner hair cells or the nerve are damaged. This type of hearing loss is called auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder. The transmission of sound from the inner ear to the brain is then disorganized.
Children with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder can develop strong language and communication skills with the help of medical devices, therapy, and visual communication techniques. - Mixed hearing loss happens when someone has both conductive and sensorineural hearing problems.
- Central hearing loss happens when the cochlea is working properly, but other parts of the brain are not. This is a less frequent type of hearing loss and is more difficult to treat.
- Auditory processing disorders (APD). This is not exactly a type of hearing loss because someone with APD can usually hear well in a quiet environment. But most people with APD have difficulty hearing in a noisy environment, which is the usual environment we live in. In most cases, APD can be treated with proper therapy. http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/sight/hearing_impairment.html#
Tools for Hearing Impairment:
Low Tech Tools:
Paper and pencil is an acceptable way to communicate with many people who have a hearing impairment.
Price: $10.00
White Boards allow quick and informal communication.
Price: $40.00
Wireless Pagers, like the Blackberry, transmit text rather than voice. Individuals with hearing loss can use these to send e-mail and to call people who have TTYs or use relay systems. At work these can help both hearing and non-hearing colleagues to communicate.
Price: $100.00
Mid/High Tech Tools:
Assistive Listening System Library Loan Program: For people who want to try out an assistive listening system, or for organizations that need to use one for a specific event, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Awareness Program at the New Jersey Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped recently launched a program to lend assistive listening systems for up to one month. The devices are available at the following NJ public libraries: Gloucester County, Montclair, Morris County, NJ Library for the Blind & Handicapped, Ocean County, and Piscataway.
TTYs are devices that enable deaf or hard of hearing people to communicate with others over the telephone. Deaf or hard of hearing employees can use TTYs to call anyone by using the cost-free Maryland Relay.
Price Range: $59.95 - $104.95
Centrum Sound: Centrum Sound is a principal provider of assistive listening devices for personal applications, assistive listening systems for hearing assistance and ADA compliance in public facilities, including simultaneous language translation. www.centrumsound.com
Computer-Assisted Real Time (CART) Captioning
CART is the instant translation of the spoken word into English text by a court reporter using a stenotype machine, notebook computer and realtime software. The text appears on a computer monitor for individual users or on a screen for an audience.
http://www.dors.state.md.us/DORS/ForEmployers/Deaf/tech/high.htm
C-Print: "C-Print ® is a speech-to-text system developed at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), a college of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), as an access service option for some deaf and hard-of-hearing students in educational environments. It was developed by researchers to improve the classroom experience for students at both the secondary and college levels. The basis of C-Print is printed text of spoken English displayed in real time, which is a proven and appropriate means of acquiring information for some individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing." http://www.ntid.rit.edu/cprint/what_cprint.php
FM ADA Compliance Kit w/ Rechargeable Batteries: This tool allows the teacher to equip their classroom for students with hearing impairments. Below is what the kit comes with:
Price: $1,300.000
Digi-Wave DLT-100: The new Digi-Wave digital spread spectrum (DSS) wireless listening system is a two-way wireless listening system in the 2.4 GHz band.
Price: $430.00
http://www.enablemart.com/Catalog/Assistive-Listening-Devices
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKzFWQrGh1I
Paper and pencil is an acceptable way to communicate with many people who have a hearing impairment.
Price: $10.00
White Boards allow quick and informal communication.
Price: $40.00
Wireless Pagers, like the Blackberry, transmit text rather than voice. Individuals with hearing loss can use these to send e-mail and to call people who have TTYs or use relay systems. At work these can help both hearing and non-hearing colleagues to communicate.
Price: $100.00
Mid/High Tech Tools:
Assistive Listening System Library Loan Program: For people who want to try out an assistive listening system, or for organizations that need to use one for a specific event, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Awareness Program at the New Jersey Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped recently launched a program to lend assistive listening systems for up to one month. The devices are available at the following NJ public libraries: Gloucester County, Montclair, Morris County, NJ Library for the Blind & Handicapped, Ocean County, and Piscataway.
TTYs are devices that enable deaf or hard of hearing people to communicate with others over the telephone. Deaf or hard of hearing employees can use TTYs to call anyone by using the cost-free Maryland Relay.
Price Range: $59.95 - $104.95
Centrum Sound: Centrum Sound is a principal provider of assistive listening devices for personal applications, assistive listening systems for hearing assistance and ADA compliance in public facilities, including simultaneous language translation. www.centrumsound.com
Computer-Assisted Real Time (CART) Captioning
CART is the instant translation of the spoken word into English text by a court reporter using a stenotype machine, notebook computer and realtime software. The text appears on a computer monitor for individual users or on a screen for an audience.
http://www.dors.state.md.us/DORS/ForEmployers/Deaf/tech/high.htm
C-Print: "C-Print ® is a speech-to-text system developed at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), a college of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), as an access service option for some deaf and hard-of-hearing students in educational environments. It was developed by researchers to improve the classroom experience for students at both the secondary and college levels. The basis of C-Print is printed text of spoken English displayed in real time, which is a proven and appropriate means of acquiring information for some individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing." http://www.ntid.rit.edu/cprint/what_cprint.php
FM ADA Compliance Kit w/ Rechargeable Batteries: This tool allows the teacher to equip their classroom for students with hearing impairments. Below is what the kit comes with:
Price: $1,300.000
- (1) PPA T36 transmitter
- (4) PPA Select (PPA R37) receivers
- (4) HED 027 headphones
- (1) MIC 090 lapel microphone
- (1) MIC 049 desktop conference mic
- (1) CCS 029 system carry case
- (2) NKL 001 neckloops
- (10) BAT 001 AA alkaline battery
- (1) IDP 008 ADA wall plaque
- Rechargeable Batteries
Digi-Wave DLT-100: The new Digi-Wave digital spread spectrum (DSS) wireless listening system is a two-way wireless listening system in the 2.4 GHz band.
Price: $430.00
http://www.enablemart.com/Catalog/Assistive-Listening-Devices
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKzFWQrGh1I