"Under the IDEA, a hearing impairment is a permanent hearing loss or a decrease in hearing that is so significate it negatively affects a child's performance in school or ability to learn. "
There are two specific types of hearing impairment which are deaf and hard of hearing.
Majority of these individuals use sign language to communicate. Those who are hard of hearing can hear but rely heavily upon hearing aids and lip reading but typically do not use sign language
Technology are used to help individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Hearing assistive can be broken down into three different groups: alerting devices, and telecommunication devices, and assistive listening devices.
There are two specific types of hearing impairment which are deaf and hard of hearing.
Majority of these individuals use sign language to communicate. Those who are hard of hearing can hear but rely heavily upon hearing aids and lip reading but typically do not use sign language
Technology are used to help individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Hearing assistive can be broken down into three different groups: alerting devices, and telecommunication devices, and assistive listening devices.
Low-Tech Devices
- ASL (American Sign Language) - is the predominant language for the deaf community to use to communicate.
- emial/text message - when a deaf students or heard of hearing students have trouble communicating with hearing students/teachers they can use their cell phones to text message each other or can email t each other.
- Paper and Pen - a deaf student or heard of hearing student can communicate with a hearing person by writing done what they want, what they need, or simply start a small conversation on paper. Its like passing notes back and forth to each other.
Mid-Tech Devices
- Closed-Captioning - allows someone with a hearing disability to have access to the television by displaying the audio into text form.
- Sound Field System - is a sound system used in the classroom to improve the sound environment. This system helps all students to hear what is being said and also improves their attentiveness, participation, and comprehension.
- Alerting Singling System
- Smart Pen - this electronic pen allows them to record the notes and when she or he wants to review the notes they can plug the audio from the smartpen to the boot of their hearing aid amplifying sound. It can also be plugged to a computer which allows the notes to be transferred over and viewed.
High-Tech Devices
- TTY (Text Telephone) - deaf and hard of hearing use the telephone to communicate, by allowing them to type messages back and forth to each other. If a hearing person wants to communicate with a hearing impaired he or she can simply use TRS, who types what you say and is transferred over to the deaf person to read and write back.
- Induction Loop System - is used with only people wearing hearing aids. A wire is installed somewhere in the classroom and is connected to a microphone used by a speaker. Electromagnetic energy is created when the speaker talks into the microphone. When the user switches their hearing-aid to the "T-swtuch" (telecoil/telephone) , the hearing aid can now pick up the electromagnetic signal.
- Cochlear Implants - is a small amplification device that helps provide a sense of sound to a person who is deaf. This implant consist of an external portion that sits behind the ear and the other part is surgically placed under the skin. The implant has a microphone, a speech processor, a transmitter and receiver, and lastly an electrode array
- CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) - is a system that transcribes every word that is spoken. The transcription can be displayed on a laptop so the hearing impairments can read it.
Sources:Dell, Amy, Deborah Newton, and Jerry Petroff. Assistive Technology in the Classroom . 2nd. Ed . Boston: Pearson, 2012. eBook.
http://www.wati.org/content/supports/free/pdf/Ch13-Hearing.pdf
http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/gi/g/hearing_impairm.htm
information for closed captioning - http://www.fcc.gov/guides/closed-captioning
infromation for Sound Field System - http://www.phonicear.com/SF.aspx
information for SmartPen - http://www.engaging-technologies.com/smartpen-assistive-technology.html#sthash.707xd1IS.dpbs
information for TTY- http://www.abouttty.com/
infromation for Induction Loop System - http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Induction-Loop-Systems/
information for Cochlear Implant - http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/coch.aspx#d
http://www.wati.org/content/supports/free/pdf/Ch13-Hearing.pdf
http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/gi/g/hearing_impairm.htm
information for closed captioning - http://www.fcc.gov/guides/closed-captioning
infromation for Sound Field System - http://www.phonicear.com/SF.aspx
information for SmartPen - http://www.engaging-technologies.com/smartpen-assistive-technology.html#sthash.707xd1IS.dpbs
information for TTY- http://www.abouttty.com/
infromation for Induction Loop System - http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Induction-Loop-Systems/
information for Cochlear Implant - http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/coch.aspx#d