Deaf and Hearing-Impaired Offenders

1. Offenders with Disabilities Series Deaf and Hearing-Impaired Offenders Online Training

2. Course Information • Author: Lynne Presley, Staff & Organizational Development, Oklahoma Department of Corrections • Data Sources:National Institute of Health, "Deafness & Other Communication Disorders", http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/, October 2006.U.S. Dept. of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section, "Communicating with People Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: ADA Guide for Law Enforcement Officers", January 2006.(Other sources referenced in course) • Course Released: March 7, 2007 • Course Code: Oracle DOCI070013 • Training Credit: One hour (assuming all Internet links are followed)

3. Course Objectives After completing this course, employees will be able to: • Understand the difference between deafness and hearing-impairment. • Name some of the causes of hearing impairment. • Understand the difference between American Sign Language and finger-spelling. • Understand how TDD/TTY devices work. • Know whom to contact to determine an offender's hearing ability. • Name different methods of communicating with the deaf and hearing-impaired.

4. Introduction

5. Introduction This course presents information about working with offenders who are deaf or have varying degrees of hearing loss. This subject is a concern for correctional employees on many levels, including some you may not have considered.

6. Definitions and Statistics

7. Deafness and Degrees of Impairment • Hearing impairment can range from being deaf (unable to hear) to varying levels of hearing ability (mild to severe impairment). • The U.S. Census Bureau publishes model-based estimates on people in the U.S. who have a hearing impairment. They define two levels of impairment: • "Have difficulty hearing normal conversation" (what most people would call "hard of hearing" or "impaired" • "Unable to hear normal conversation" (what most people would call "deaf") • Their studies, including numbers and percentages of total population, are shown on the next slide.

8. U.S. & Oklahoma Statistics The U.S. Census Bureau's latest information on deafness and hearing impairment, as of June 2004, covers the period from 1994-1995:

9. Oklahoma DOC Statistics Our agency collects information about deaf and hearing-impaired offenders on a form titled "Oklahoma Department of Corrections Work/Activity/Housing Summary", which is referenced as an attachment to OP-030102, "Inmate Housing," effective 6-13-06. Section II.B. of this policy states "During the reception process, this form is completed at A&R to determine cell assignment status." Section H. of this form collects data about hearing ability. Using information collected from these forms, Health Services personnel reported that our agency had a total of 80 offenders in September 2006 who were either hearing-impaired or deaf.

10. Causes

11. Causes Hearing impairments (including deafness) can be caused by different things. Genetic: Impairments can be inherited. Both dominant and recessive genes exist which can cause deafness. Disease/illness: High fevers, measles, and some autoimmune diseases can cause hearing loss. Medications: Allergic reactions to some medications can cause hearing loss. Physical Trauma: Physical damage to the ear or brain centers that process aural information can cause hearing loss.

12. Causes, continued Physical Trauma, cont'd: Exposure to loud noise (such as jet engines, gunfire and explosions) can cause both temporary and permanent hearing loss. Picture: Hearing protectionis extremely important!

13. Did You Know? Over the past few decades, the use of headphones and ear buds attached to portable music players has mushroomed, leading to reports of people suffering from tinnitus (ringing of the ears) and hearing loss. "The tricky part is that you don't know about the damage early on. It takes multiple exposures and sometimes years to find out," says Dr. Colin Driscoll, an otologist at Minnesota's Mayo Clinic. Causes, continued Exposure to repeated loud music can lead to gradual hearing loss.

14. Causes, continued Presbycusis: This term is defined as the loss of hearing that gradually occurs to most people as they age. According to the National Institutes of Health, about 30-35% of adults between 65-75 years, and 40-50% of adults 75 and older have a hearing loss. As our offender population ages, their incidence of hearing loss will increase.

15. Understanding Deaf Communication

16. Deaf Communication Historically, many deaf people were regarded as mentally deficient. This prejudice led to frequent emotional, educational and physical neglect of the deaf. Early education of the deaf ranged from primitive forms of sign language taught in Spain and France in the 1600s and 1700s, to the first comprehensive school for the deaf in Washington, D.C. in 1864. This school, Columbia Institute for the Deaf, is still in operation and is now known as Gallaudet University.

17. Deaf Communication Methods of teaching the deaf to communicate have changed through the years, but basically fall into two philosophies: Oralism: Deaf students are taught primarily to speak and read lips (also called speech reading). Manualism: Deaf students are taught primarily to "sign" (communicate by using sign language), and write notes. There have also been technological advances that have opened new ways of communication for the deaf and hearing-impaired.

18. Did You Know? Some deaf and hearing-impaired people embrace what they call their "Deaf Culture." This is a view of life manifested by the mores, beliefs, artistic expression, understandings and language (American Sign Language) particular to Deaf people. A capital "D" is often used in the word Deaf when it refers to community or cultural aspects of Deafness. Deaf Communication, cont'd. American Sign Language (ASL) American Sign Language (ASL) is a complete, complex language that employs signs made with the hands and other movements, including facial expressions and postures of the body, to portray words and phrases. It is the first language of many deaf North Americans, and one of several communication options available to deaf people. ASL is said to be the fourth most commonly used language in the United States

19. Deaf Communication, cont'd. ASL Fingerspelling Alphabet (also called American Manual Alphabet) Fingerspelling allows people to spell words manually.  The American Fingerspelled Alphabet has shapes that represent the 26 letters of the American alphabet.  This alphabet can be used as an alternative to ASL, and is also used as a shortcut to spell out short words. Examples are shown on the next slide.

20. ASL Fingerspelling example courtesy of asl.ms

21. Deaf Communication, cont'd. American Sign Language takes concentrated study to gain proficiency. However, you can gain a feel for it by clicking the link below, which will take you to the Michigan State University ASL online browser, where you can look up words and see an actual demonstration of their ASL equivalent "sign." http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm

22. Deaf Communication, cont'd. Cued Speech Cued Speech is a visual communication system that uses eight hand shapes in four different placements near the face in combination with the mouth movements of speech to make the sounds of spoken language look different from each other. (Definition from the National Cued Speech Association) Cued speech is faster to learn than ASL. Cued speech is used by some younger deaf/hearing-impaired people as an alternative to ASL.

23. Deaf Communication, cont'd. Speech and Lip-Reading (Speech-Reading) Many deaf and hearing-impaired people have learned to speak and lip (speech) read. They may or may not combine these techniques with writing, ASL, and cued speech. They may also be taught these techniques after receiving a cochlear ear implant, which helps them to sense vibrations and translate them into "speech." Drawing of cochlear implant from U.S. Food & Drug Administration web site.

24. Deaf Communication, cont'd. Hearing Aids Hearing aids are electronic devices that fit inside, behind or near the ear and help amplify sounds. They can improve hearing, but cannot restore normal hearing or eliminate background noise. Graphic courtesy of Gallaudet University, Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center

25. Deaf Communication, cont'd. TDD/TTY Devices A TDD is a telecommunication device for the deaf. These devices are also called TTYs or text telephones. These devices allow people who are deaf, hearing –impaired, or speech-impaired to communicate by allowing them to type text messages. A TTY on both ends of the conversation allows two deaf/hearing-impaired people to communicate. Our agency maintains TTY devices at each institution.

26. TDD/TTY Services This is an example of a TTY device.

27. Deaf Communication, cont'd. Telecommunications Relay Services and National 711 The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 took full effect on July 26,1993. Title IV of the ADA requires all telephone companies across the United States to provide telecommunications relay services. A telecommunications relay service (TRS) allows people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired to communicate through a communications assistant (CA) with people who use a standard telephone.

28. Deaf Communication, cont'd. Telecommunications Relay Services and National 711, continued A CA relays the TTY (text telephone or telecommunications device for deaf and hard of hearing people) input to the telephone user and types that person's response back to the TTY user. Telecommunications relay services can be reached by dialing 711. Just as you can dial 411 for information, you can dial 711 to access all telecommunications relay services anywhere in the United States. The relay service is free.

29. Deaf Communication, cont'd. Instant Messaging & E-Mail Deaf and hearing-impaired people, particularly those who are young, have adopted the use of IM (instant text messaging) and E-mail with enthusiasm. In fact, the National Institutes of Health reported the results of a 2002 survey conducted by Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY regarding this subject (see next slide):

30. Deaf Communication, cont'd. Instant Messaging & E-Mail "An online survey of 884 deaf and hard of hearing adults asked about their current and past use of communication technologies, notably TTY, telecommunications relay services, e-mail, and instant messaging (IM). Results showed that respondents were using e-mail and IM far more than TTY and relay services. The study participants virtually all had e-mail and IM at home. In fact, about one quarter had a high-speed ("broadband") connection at home. While the vast majority also had and used e-mail at work, just 1 in 3 had IM at his or her place of employment. The findings have several implications. Most important for educators is that strong reading and writing skills are essential if adults who are deaf or hard of hearing are to take advantage of today's communications technologies. Another conclusion is that some workers who are deaf or hard of hearing appear to face discrimination in employment because office policies forbid the use of a highly effective reasonable accommodation, instant messaging." (Hofstra University, October 2002)

31. Communicating with Deaf and Hearing-Impaired Offenders

32. "Deaf people in prison are isolated, frustrated, ignored and vulnerable." - Deaf Prison Project, BDA/BID Silent World Try to imagine what it would be like to enter prison without the ability to hear:

33. Silent World Hearing-impaired offenders, as well as those who are deaf, are also at a disadvantage. Howard E. Stone of Self-Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc., commented: “As people lose their hearing, things seem to change for them, and for those around them. Misperceptions of each other, fueled by interactions often caused by ignorance, evolve. Communication breaks down. Isolation – a feeling of being alone, even in the middle of a crowd – develops the trend toward withdrawal. Perceived rejection sets in, accompanied by poor self-esteem. The process of socialization gradually shuts down.”

34. Silent World As an employee, you most likely take some things for granted. For instance, you probably expect offenders to respond when you order them to report to the visiting room, perform an emergency evacuation, move away from a perimeter fence, and respond to other spoken commands. However, deaf and hearing-impaired offenders may have difficulty doing these things if you don't communicate effectively. The first section of the course discussed methods of communication with the deaf and hearing-impaired. This section will discuss things you can do to increase and improve communication with deaf and hearing-impaired offenders.

35. Agency Identification Our agency policy includes sections on identifying and assisting offenders with hearing impairments. When offenders enter our system, they undergo an initial health assessment for diagnosis of health conditions, preventive health maintenance, and treatment. This initial assessment includes screening for hearing impairment.

36. Hearing Aids OP-140113, "Orthoses, Protheses, and Other Aids of Impairment" specifies that facility medical services will purchase and issue hearing aid batteries to offenders who wear hearing aids. When an offender is transferred to another facility, the spare batteries kept in medical for each offender will be placed in the medical record and sent with the offender. This policy insures that offenders always have power for their hearing aids.

37. Agency Identification • OP-030102, "Inmate Housing", includes an attachment (C) that is titled "Work/Activity/Housing Summary." This summary contains a section on hearing that includes several categories: • Normal hearing • Mild loss of hearing • Moderate loss of hearing • Severe loss of hearing • Deaf (this section also includes categories for ability to read lips, sign, and communicate by writing).

38. Agency Identification As shown on the last few slides, offenders with hearing impairments and deafness have documentation in their field and medical files to show their degree of impairment. If you think an offender may have impaired hearing, you can contact his/her case manager, unit manager, or health services personnel to verify the degree of impairment. You may wonder why you would want to know this? Simply put, it's a matter of improving your communication with the offender. In some cases, improved communication can mean the difference between life and death.

39. Emergency Situations Deaf and hearing-impaired offenders can't hear ringing fire alarms. The Life Safety Code handbook, 1994, requires that alarms used in some locations have both audible and inaudible fire signals, such as that shown in the picture to the right. This alarm has a flashing strobe light signal, so that deaf and hearing-impaired people can be alerted. Our agency uses these strobe alarms at all facilities that house deaf and hearing-impaired offenders. Care should be taken to make sure all offenders, including those who cannot hear, are aware of impending emergencies and evacuations.

40. Communication Tips The U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section, published some practical suggestions for communicating effectively with deaf and hearing-impaired people. The following slides will present their tips.

41. Communication Tips • Before speaking, get the person's attention with a wave of the hand or a gentle tap on the shoulder. • Face the person, and do not turn away while speaking • Try to converse in a well-lit area. • Do not cover your mouth or chew gum while you are speaking. • If a person is wearing a hearing aid, do not assume the person can hear you. • Minimize background noise and other distractions whenever possible.

42. Communication Tips • When you are talking, speak slowly and distinctly. Do not shout. • Use gestures and facial expressions to reinforce what you are saying. • Use visual aids when possible, such as pointing to printed information on a document. • Remember that only about 1/3 of spoken words can be understood by speech (lip) reading.

43. Communication Tips • When communicating by written notes, keep in mind that some individuals who use sign language may lack good English reading and writing skills. • If someone with a hearing disability cannot understand you, write a note to ask him or her what communication aid or service is needed. • Speak with simple, direct words.

44. Conclusion During the course of your career with our agency, you may come into contact with deaf or hearing-impaired offenders. Communication methods may range from writing a note, speech reading, sign language, using an interpreter, using a TTY device, or simple finger spelling. Regardless of the method, remember to communicate with these offenders in a courteous and dignified manner. To avoid misunderstandings and potentially dangerous incidents, make every effort to make sure that you are understood. Remember that deaf and hearing-impaired offenders must understand what you are trying to communicate.