Centre for Students with Disabilities

1. Centre for Students with Disabilities 0 Hard of Hearing Issues in & out of Class: Exploring how hearing loss can impact the experience of students Concurrent Session 5.13 Presented by Kirston Arbour - Durham College & UOIT kirston.arbour@dc-uoit.ca AHEAD/PEPNET Conference – July 2012

2. Centre for Students with Disabilities AGENDA • Literature – Where is it? • Statistical and theoretical overview • Reviewing the issues/Student video clips • Questions/Small group discussions

3. Centre for Students with Disabilities Literature – The Gap • Overview: • Literature that explores issues specific to hard of hearing who are: • 15-30 years of age is limited • post-secondary and/or are also members of other marginalized groups is significantly more limited. • This presentation will draw on articles from: - Hearing Loss Association of America - Academic texts/journals in the area of social sciences

4. Centre for Students with Disabilities Statistics – Rates of Hearing Loss • Canadian association of the Deaf (CAD) reports: • 1 in 10 Canadians have a hearing loss (2007) • Breakdown of this number = 310,000 culturally Deaf & 2.8 million hard of hearing in Canada • STATS Can Reports: • 87% of Canadians who have a hearing loss reported that they had a co-morbid condition (2006)

5. Centre for Students with Disabilities Statistics - Education • STATS Canada 2006 Survey reports educational attainment for individuals with a hearing disability as follows: • 50.2% - highest level – high school or below • 20.1% - highest level – college diploma or below • 17.5% - highest level – trade/apprenticeship certificate • 7.5% - highest level – bachelor’s degree *No stats reported for graduate students.

6. Centre for Students with Disabilities Statistics • Some American stats: • About 17% of adults in the US (36 million) report some degree of hearing loss. • 60% of people with a hearing loss are either in the workforce or educational setting. • About 2-3 of every 1,000 children is hard of hearing or deaf.

7. Centre for Students with Disabilities Sociological Terms Related to Hearing Loss • Audism: • Defined as an attitude based on pathological thinking which results in a negative stigma toward anyone who does not hear; • Like racism or sexism, audism judges, labels, and limits individuals on the basis of whether a person hears and speaks. (Humphrey and Alcorn, 1995: 85)

8. Centre for Students with Disabilities Sociological Terms Relatedto Hearing Loss • Passing: • The ability of a person to be regarded as a member of social groups other than his or her own, such as a different race, ethnicity, social class, gender and/or disability status, generally with the purpose of gaining social acceptance. (Renfrow ,2001).

9. Centre for Students with Disabilities Sociological Terms Related to Hearing Loss • Bluffing: • The ‘invisibility’ of the condition magnifies the effect the hearing loss has on two-way communication. • The situation can become so uncomfortable that the person with hearing loss “bluffs” – communication becomes even more difficult. Battat Article

10. Centre for Students with Disabilities Invisibility of Hearing Loss • It has been termed "an invisible condition" (Stone, 1993). • This is not because the damage to the auditory system is hidden from our view (which of course it is), but primarily because the effects can be so misunderstood. • Hearing loss can even be misunderstood by the persons who are themselves afflicted with the condition. Ross Article

11. Centre for Students with Disabilities Invisibility of Hearing Loss • The vast majority of people with hearing loss do not identify with other hard of hearing people. • Many do not even admit that they have a hearing loss.

12. Centre for Students with Disabilities You Can Speak…So You Can Hear • People who are hard of hearing usually have understandable speech and communicate through spoken language. • This leads to an assumption that they can hear and a biased attitude to their communication competence. Battat Article

13. Centre for Students with Disabilities Impact of Hearing Loss in Day to Day Life • Any amount of hearing loss interferes with communication and therefore understanding and information exchange will impact all areas of an individual’s life. • Areas include but are not limited to: relationships, employment, education, civic responsibility, and most importantly the individual’s own self respect and confidence. Battat Article

14. Centre for Students with Disabilities Hearing Loss – No Simple Fix • Hearing aids and cochlear implants are prosthetic devices designed to help compensate for damage to the inner ear. • These man-made prosthetic devices are no substitute for a normally functioning ear. • Most such devices are discreetly worn and may not readily be seen. • When people do see hearing aids they may not recognize the presence of a disability…or impact. HLAA

15. Centre for Students with Disabilities Social Interactions – Missing Out • In social situations, I would have a tendency to melt into the background, letting everyone else do the talking. I had learned by many embarrassing moments to keep my mouth shut. (Pepperday Article) • People with hearing loss may not be able to pick up on rapid conversational exchanges and sometimes miss the jokes and idioms of their normally hearing peers. • Because of this, they may be and feel isolated from the larger group. (Ross Article)

16. Centre for Students with Disabilities Hearing Loss and Behaviours • Behaviors related to hearing loss may not be obvious or may be attributed to other perceived shortcomings. • Because the hearing loss is not visible, it may not generate sympathy or patience from others. Ross Article

17. Centre for Students with Disabilities Social Interaction - Assumptions • Even when a person’s hearing loss is severe enough to preclude reactions to loud noise, it may be difficult for others to accept that the person does not look different. (HLAA) • Unless people see my hearing aids, they don’t understand that I don’t hear everything they say, and often accuse me of not listening. If I explain that I have a hearing loss, they usually yell for a minute or two then forget, and get mad again if I ask them to repeat themselves. (Hawes)

18. Centre for Students with Disabilities Stigma and Hearing Loss • There is a reticence, almost a shame, about having a hearing loss that often discourages a hard of hearing person from seeking help and taking productive steps. • Some people describe this as the "stigma" of hearing loss. HLAA

19. Centre for Students with Disabilities The Fatigue Factor • All people with hearing loss experience some degree of fatigue from the increased effort needed to understand spoken communication. • This added fatigue (compared to people who do not have hearing loss) can lessen one’s internal resources for dealing with other life stressors.

20. Centre for Students with Disabilities Intersecting with Mental Health • No empirical evidence that people with hearing loss have a higher rate of depression, anxiety or other mental health disorders. • There is much incidental information suggesting that the communication difficulties which stem from hearing loss can negatively impact a person’s self-image, self-confidence and cause emotional distress. HLAA

21. Centre for Students with Disabilities The Isolation Factor • Self-isolation is a natural response for people with hearing loss who have difficulty communicating with others and feel embarrassed by the need for frequent repeats and the possibility of responding “incorrectly.” • Isolation itself may lead to increased anxiety, depression, or other complicating factors. In addition, people may also feel grief, frustration, or anger about losing their hearing. HLAA

22. Centre for Students with Disabilities Mental Health…Not Always Linked to Hearing Loss • The difficulties in communication which stem from hearing loss do not necessarily cause mental health problems. • People must also consider that there are times when a mental health issue may be completely unrelated to hearing loss. This means the mental health issues would still be present if the person did not have a hearing loss. • HLAA

23. Centre for Students with Disabilities Mental Health Professionals • Make appropriate referrals. Research the options. • A mental health professional who does not have training in hearing loss may inadvertently underestimate or misattribute the level of frustration a person with hearing loss may experience. HLAA

24. Centre for Students with Disabilities Managing Reactions of Others • Sources to find accurate information and social support may not be self-evident, and so the people who have the hearing loss don't have the tools or peer support to combat stereotypes. • Self-perception may depend on a large degree on the reactions of other people and how those reactions are interpreted. HLAA

25. Centre for Students with Disabilities Discussion Questions 1. As Disability Service providers and Student Service areas, consider whether we are meeting all of the accommodation needs of our students with hearing loss. Are they supported inside and outside the classroom? 2. Identify possible ways that various service areas may present barriers for students who are hard of hearing. How can we decrease the barriers for this population?

26. Centre for Students with Disabilities Discussion Questions 3. Think about ways that being unable to hear and follow discussions with peers and/or faculty due to an invisible disability may present challenges to academic success. How can we support students experiencing these challenges/avoid the challenges? 4. Identify barriers to participating in social activities that students who are hard of hearing may encounter. What environments within post-secondary may be most challenging for students with a hearing loss? Are there steps we can take to support students?

27. Centre for Students with Disabilities Discussion Questions 5. Consider whether students with an invisible disability may experience greater angst self-identifying depending on their cultural and/or ethnic background.

28. Centre for Students with Disabilities Final Thoughts Final thoughts/questions/comments.

29. Centre for Students with Disabilities References • Battat, Brenda. “Demographics of Hearing Loss.” American Academy of Hearing Loss Support Specialists. Bethesda, MD: SHHH Publications, 2005. • Hawes, Kathleen – Defining Moments in Hearing Loss • Hearing Loss Association of America – Academy course material - http://www.hearingloss.org/academy/index.asp. • Hearing Loss Association of America – Basic Facts About Hearing Loss – http://www.hearingloss.org/content/basic-facts-about-hearing-loss • Sorkin, Donna L. "Developing an Identity for People with Hearing Loss." Hearing Loss 18.1 (1997): 14-18. • Renfrow, Daniel. "A Cartography of Passing in Everyday Life," Symbolic Interaction, Vol. 27, Issue 4, pp. 485-506; Maria C. Sanchez, Passing: Identity and Interpretation in Sexuality, Race, and Religion, NYU Press, 2001.

30. Centre for Students with Disabilities Suggested Reading/Viewing List • Dugan, Marcia B. Living with Hearing Loss. 2003. • Harvey, Michael A. Odyssey of Hearing Loss: Tales of Triumph. 1998. • Harvey, Michael A. Listen with the Heart: Relationships and Hearing Loss. 2001. • Music Within. Film. 2007. Twentieth Century Fox. • Swiller, J. The Unheard: A memoir of deafness and africa. 2007. • Watson, D et al. (Ed.). Hard of Hearing Students in Post-Secondary Settings: A Guide for Service Providers. 2007.