Deafness and hearing loss in higher education

Hearing loss and deafness affect more than 5% of the world's population. Although hearing loss and deafness are invisible disabilities, they significantly impact individuals. In this chapter, I draw on my personal experiences as an academic with hearing loss and a researcher of ableism in academia to reflect on what it means to be hard of hearing, deaf and Deaf in higher education

Inner Ear Development and Advances in Inner Ear Organoid Formation

The inner ear houses the cochlea which contains hair cells responsible for the transduction of sound waves. The process of forming these hair cells responsible for hearing is a complicated process consisting of many signaling factors that allow ectoderm to form into the otic placode, the otic vesicle, and finally prosensory cells such as hair cells (Schlosser, 2006). Loss of these hair cells contributes to deafness and hearing loss throughout life, and regeneration of these cells may serve as a therapeutic agent for those with irreversible damage. This review looks at the development of the otic placode and hair cells and the possibility of regenerating hair cells from stem cell populations

Predictors of depressive symptoms in persons with deafness and hearing loss

To date, there are very few studies that that have assessed predictors of depression in persons with deafness and hearing loss. The present study addressed this fundamental gap in the literature by predicting depressive symptoms with the following two constructs: loneliness and problem-solving coping. Just as loneliness and problem solving are thought to be important in predicting depressive symptoms in the hearing, it was hypothesized that these constructs would also be important predictors of depressive symptoms in the deaf and hard-of-hearing. The literature, while inconsistent, suggests that objective severity of one’s disability, speech discrimination, and the number of years one is deaf or hard-of-hearing, is related to psychopathology. This study included these factors as covariates. One hundred and twenty six women from the Drexel University Department of Otolaryngology completed a series of self-report questionnaires. The results indicated that loneliness was a significant, positive predictor of depressive symptoms. Additionally, the results indicated that problem solving was a significant, inverse predictor of depressive symptoms. A series of correlations designed to deconstruct the relationship between problem-solving and depression revealed a significant relationship between depressive symptoms and negative problem orientation, impulsiveness/carelessness style, and avoidance style. A multiple linear regression, in which components of problem solving were regressed on depressive symptoms, revealed a significant relationship between negative problem orientation and depressive symptoms and avoidance style and depressive symptoms. A hierarchical linear regression, which was employed to test the hypothesis that loneliness and problem solving predict depressive symptoms above and beyond objective severity of deafness and hearing loss, speech discrimination, and number of years deaf and/or hard-of-hearing, indicated that these covariates did not significantly predict depressive symptoms and do not account for the relationship between loneliness, problem-solving and depressive symptoms. Finally, a mediator analysis was conducted to test the hypothesis that problem-solving would mediate the relationship between loneliness and depressive symptoms. This analysis demonstrated that problem-solving partially mediated the relationship between loneliness and depressive symptoms. This finding conveyed that there may be a direct contribution from loneliness to depressive symptoms. Furthermore, this finding conveyed that there may be an indirect path from loneliness to depressive symptoms through problem solving, but that the indirect path accounted for only a portion of the effect of loneliness on depressive symptoms. Clinical and research implications of the study, along with recommendations for future research, are discussed.Ph.D., Clinical Psychology -- Drexel University, 200

Vibration Alert Bracelet for Notification of the Visually and Hearing Impaired

This paper presents the prototype of an electronic vibration bracelet designed to help the visually and hearing impaired to receive and send emergency alerts. The bracelet has two basic functions. The first function is to receive a wireless signal and respond with a vibration to alert the user. The second function is implemented by pushing one button of the bracelet to send an emergency signal. We report testing on a prototype system formed by a mobile application and two bracelets. The bracelets and the application form a complete system intended to be used in retirement apartment communities. However, the system is flexible and could be expanded to add new features or to serve as a research platform for gait analysis and location services. The medical and professional potential of the proposed system is that it offers a simple, modular, and cost-effective alternative to all the existing medical devices with similar functionality currently on the market. The proposed system has an educational potential as well: it can be used as a starting point for capstone projects and demonstration purposes in schools to attract students to STEM disciplines

Beginning your hearing health journey with the online hearing test

There are 12 million people with hearing loss in the UK and this is expected to increase to 14.2 million by 2035. We know that the effects of unmanaged hearing loss are significant. It leads to an increased risk of both social isolation and poor mental health, and is a major driver for leaving the workforce early. Hearing loss has also been identified as the largest potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia. Yet still, people wait an average of 10 years before they seek help for their hearing loss. World Hearing Day 20231 took place on the 3 March and the theme this year looks to highlight the importance of integrating ear and hearing care within primary care, as an essential component of universal health coverage

Application of Big Data to Support Evidence-Based Public Health Policy Decision-Making for Hearing

Ideally, public health policies are formulated from scientific data; however, policy-specific data are often unavailable. Big data can generate ecologically-valid, high-quality scientific evidence, and therefore has the potential to change how public health policies are formulated. Here, we discuss the use of big data for developing evidence-based hearing health policies, using data collected and analyzed with a research prototype of a data repository known as EVOTION (EVidence-based management of hearing impairments: public health pOlicy-making based on fusing big data analytics and simulaTION), to illustrate our points. Data in the repository consist of audiometric clinical data, prospective real-world data collected from hearing aids and an app, and responses to questionnaires collected for research purposes. To date, we have used the platform and a synthetic dataset to model the estimated risk of noise-induced hearing loss and have shown novel evidence of ways in which external factors influence hearing aid usage patterns. We contend that this research prototype data repository illustrates the value of using big data for policy-making by providing high-quality evidence that could be used to formulate and evaluate the impact of hearing health care policies

Exploring Accessibility and Social Inclusion for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in Residential Camps through the Occupational Therapy Lens

Children engage in various play, leisure, and social participation activities to enhance the development of life skills, independence, and social skills. Residential camps provide an opportunity to engage in leisure activities while learning to become independent and self-confident while socializing and making new friends. However, having a disability such as deafness and hearing loss may impact the camper’s experience. This digital guidebook offers videos, pop-in information, and links to valuable resources for working with and understanding the Deaf and Hard of Hearing culture. The guidebook incorporates inclusionary strategies to help the campers and the staff develop inclusive mindsets and social skills that can be applied within their daily lives. Throughout the guidebook are tips and tricks of inclusion from the occupational therapy lens, in addition to relevant data from the authors research study. The guidebook is then broken down into seven chapters that range from learning the basics about hearing impairment, the camp environment, inclusion strategies, and American Sign Language educationhttps://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesfall2020/1005/thumbnail.jp

An Analysis of the Service Provider’s Legal Duty to Make Reasonable Adjustments: The Little Mix Saga

The recent dispute between a mother and organisers of a Little Mix concert is a controversial issue for the entertainment industry. Although the Supreme Court decision in Paulley v FirstGroup plc 2017 UKSC 4 has attempted to clarify this duty placed on service providers, the law still remains unclear whether this duty involves access to an experience enjoyed by non-disabled individuals. It is argued that this is partly due to the legal uncertainty of the reasonable adjustment duty contained in the Equality Act 2010 . This intervention will discuss the dispute in detail as it leaves service providers unclear as to what is, and is not, a reasonable adjustment for the purposes of discharging their legal duty to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 . Any ruling in this case might clarify the nature of the duty and the extent to which an organiser is required to make reasonable adjustments for disabled individuals where the core service is an ‘experience’. How far this duty extends remains uncertain. The author will consider how the failure to make reasonable adjustments may in some cases exclude disabled service users from mainstream activities enjoyed by non-disabled individuals. Theoretical models used to explain disability will also be explored to assist in understanding the duty owed by a service provider

Falling On Deaf Ears: Social Workers’ Attitudes About Deafness, Hearing Loss, and Deaf Cultural Competence

D/deaf and hard of hearing people have lower health literacy and higher rates of misdiagnosis of serious illnesses than their hearing counterparts (Sheier, 2009). This is, in part, a result of the inaccessible and culturally incompetent care provided to d/Deaf and hard of hearing individuals (Kuenburg, Fellinger & Fellinger, 2016; Hoang, LaHousse, Nakaji & Sadler, 2010 Sheier, 2009). Inaccessible and culturally incompetent care may be byproducts of human service providers’ attitudes towards d/Deaf and hard of hearing people (Ulloa, 2014; Cooper, Mason & Rose, 2005), and providers’ level of competence with properly caring for d/Deaf and hard of hearing clients (Hoang LaHousse, Nakaji & Sadler, 2010). This exploratory study aims to understand how social workers’ attitudes towards deafness relate to their competence, as well as to their experience, with working with d/Deaf and hard of hearing clients. Additionally, I explore how certain demographic and professional characteristics are related to social workers’ attitudes, competence, and experience. I found that social workers attitudes and competence were significantly correlated (0.388, p=0.001). Gender also had a relationship to attitudes toward the D/deaf, 75.2% of female social workers had positive attitude scores, while 24.8% of male social workers had positive attitudes. Experience with d/Deaf and hard of hearing clients and utilizing interpreters were significantly related to social workers self-reported competence scores, where social workers who utilized interpreters for their d/Deaf clients had higher competence scores falling within the ranges of moderate to expert. Finally, I found that receiving education about d/Deaf and hard of hearing issues was significantly related to social workers self-reported competence where 82.9% of social workers who had learned about d/Deaf issues had competence scores that ranged from moderate to expert scores. Implications for social work practice are discussed, namely d/Deaf education programs, as well as policies that could improve access to care by expanding access to interpreters and hearing devices. Future considerations for research could include qualitative studies with disabled social workers, or d/Deaf people to better understand d/Deaf cultural competence from a sociocultural viewpoint