Having to deal with any type of disability is always a big challenge, both for the person who has it and for the family who needs to adapt in order to structure themselves in the best way and provide a good life for the person with a disability. This is not very different for children who have visual impairment or for a hearing impaired person, but the type of care and adaptation for each will be different.

What is a Hearing Impaired Person?

Hearing impairment, or deafness, is a type of disability characterized by the inability of a person to recognize sounds or even by reduced hearing ability. It can be a problem that exists since birth, or it can be acquired through a disease or a serious accident. A person is considered deaf if they cannot hear sounds with an intensity lower than 50 decibels, but in many cases devices and medical monitoring can solve the problem. In other cases, however, the issue is more complicated, as the device only helps the person to a certain extent, but does not completely solve the problem. It is important that, in more severe cases, the person learns sign language and orofacial reading as early as possible, so that their education and learning process do not suffer.

Childhood of a Hearing Impaired Person

The childhood of a hearing impaired person can be normal and healthy, but this depends on several factors and directly on the care relationship the parents have with the child, especially in their first years of life, when communication is being developed. This means that medical monitoring and seeking knowledge about how to deal with a child with hearing impairment need to be ongoing. The inclusion of hearing impaired people in society is also, to a large extent, a responsibility of the parents and ensures that, even growing up with a type of disability, the child can be healthy and develop the social skills needed for a good life.

How Can Hearing Loss Occur?

As we mentioned earlier, hearing impairment can be present from birth or caused by some disease or accident. But before we talk about what can cause this loss, we need to understand that it can happen in two different ways:

  • Sudden Hearing Loss – Various types of trauma, infections, tumors, and medications can cause sudden hearing loss.
  • Gradual Hearing Loss – Naturally occurs due to aging, even though these cases usually do not result in complete deafness. But it can also be caused by damage to nerve cells or even excess earwax.

Once we understand the existing types of hearing loss, we can list among the main things that make a person hearing impaired:

  • Exposure to Excessive Noise
  • Meningitis
  • Medications

Exposure to Excessive Noise

It can fit into both types of hearing loss, depending on the type of exposure. It usually happens to people who work in unhealthy environments where there is excessive noise and little protection for the ears, as in large construction sites, for example. It is very unlikely that this type of hearing loss will result in total deafness, but it can cause the person to need to use a hearing aid.

Meningitis

Meningitis, especially bacterial meningitis, can cause hearing loss at several different levels. Hearing loss occurs due to inflammation in the cochlea, the region responsible for converting acoustic signals into electrical signals for the brain, allowing hearing to occur. Depending on the level of inflammation, meningitis can cause severe and permanent hearing loss, especially in children.

Medications

The inappropriate use of medications can affect areas of the brain and cause a person to become hearing impaired. For this reason, it is always important to consult a doctor for the treatment of any type of illness so that simple problems do not become so serious.

Rights of the Hearing Impaired

People with hearing impairment have certain rights so that they can live well in society. These rights are achievements to make the inclusion of these people happen more quickly and in an organized way, and also to show society all the abilities that a hearing impaired person has. Among the main rights of the hearing impaired are:

  • Free Pass – Grants the benefit of interstate travel to hearing impaired people who prove a low family income.
  • Income Tax Exemption – This is a benefit for people with physical, visual, and hearing disabilities.
  • Employment – Job positions specifically designated for people with hearing impairment.
  • Access to University – The Federal Government has a program aimed at including people with disabilities in various institutions of higher education.
  • Public Service Exams – There are also positions reserved for people with disabilities in public service exams. The hearing impaired can apply for these positions as long as they have bilateral hearing loss.

As we can see, the rights of the hearing impaired exist so that these people do not have to live as they did for many years, on the margins of society and considered inferior in some way.

Inclusion of the Hearing Impaired

The inclusion of hearing impaired people is now a reality in many parts of the world. In the past, deafness was often associated with some mental problem, since people who could not hear had great difficulty developing several skills. This belief disappeared as the inclusion of the hearing impaired became more widespread and proved that, with the right education, a person with hearing impairment can lead a normal life. That is why it is so important for parents to know that the child needs to interact with other children with the same disability, but also with children who are different from them. This is important for the social development of all, who from an early age learn to deal with differences. A hearing impaired person, even if they have some problems and certain difficulties, can have a normal life without major communication problems, whether or not they use a hearing aid. Of course, this is not the case for everyone, since unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to learn sign language or orofacial reading from an early age, for example. In addition, many parents do not have information on how to deal with hearing impaired children and end up unintentionally hindering their development process. That is exactly why we all need to understand the importance of including hearing impaired people. When everyone gains awareness, it becomes much easier for more and more hearing impaired people to coexist normally in our society. See Also: Hearing Loss in Babies: What to Do? Despite Photo: daveynin