Research on Deafness and Higher Education Discussion Based on an Overview of Research

The research conducted mainly by researchers at NTID has contributed in an important and valuable way to our understanding of the problems involved in this issue. However, about 90 percent of hearing-impaired students are attending institutions outside Gallaudet or NTID, what is needed is knowledge about the conditions for the deaf and hard-of-hearing students in mainstreamed colleges and universities. From what is known about the changes regarding labor market, demography, and educational system the lack of knowledge about deaf and hard-of-hearing students in this setting seems serious. The research task should be to find the social mechanisms that underlie the educational process in terms of integration and attrition. The mechanisms in motion could be found if we focus on the Deaf World and the Hearing World and the Educational Community

Persistence and Academic and Social Integration of Hearing-Impaired Students in Postsecondary Education: A Review of Research

The research described here falls into two categories. The first category focuses on outcome, the secondary category focuses on process. The overview includes 27 studies, 14 in the first category and 13 In the second category. Mainstreamed students seem to be more prepared for postsecondary education. Some studies do not rank communication skills when entering the college as among the most important for college performance and the decision to withdraw, and some do. A few studies indicate no correlation between academic performance and the decision to stay or withdraw. Many of the studies support the idea that this interaction is of great importance for the outcome. Regarding social interaction we can conclude that it is an important mechanism in work However, it is extremely difficult to state that this or that factor is more important than others and the most important conclusion which could be drawn from the studies is to stress the importance of taking a holistic view of the issue

Relocation and Health Effects on the Elderly A Commented Research Review

This paper summarizes and comments on the research on the relationship between relocation and morbidity/mortality among the elderly. In the present state of research there are not sufficient grounds for the drawing of general conclusions. On the other hand there is good reason for assuming that relocation under certain circumstances and for certain groups does lead to ill-health and to an increase in mortality. There is a lack of studies devoted to systematic investigation of the influence of such conditions. Various designs and methods have been used, and this reduces comparability. There is also a lack of theoretically guided empirical investigations. Research on relocation among the elderly needs to include recognition of the importance of the meaning of home for the elderly, and of the concept of control

Importance of “Process Evaluation” in Audiological Rehabilitation: Examples from Studies on Hearing Impairment

The main focus of this paper is to discuss the importance of “evaluating the process of change” (i.e., process evaluation) in people with disability by studying their lived experiences. Detailed discussion is made about “why and how to investigate the process of change in people with disability?” and some specific examples are provided from studies on patient journey of persons with hearing impairment (PHI) and their communication partners (CPs). In addition, methodological aspects in process evaluation are discussed in relation to various metatheoretical perspectives. The discussion has been supplemented with relevant literature. The healthcare practice and disability research in general are dominated by the use of outcome measures. Even though the values of outcome measures are not questioned, there seems to be a little focus on understanding the process of change over time in relation to health and disability. We suggest that the process evaluation has an additional temporal dimension and has applications in both clinical practice and research in relation to health and disability

Expectations, visions and sense of empowerment: in the face of a vocational rehabilitation process for people with psychiatric disabilities

The aim of this study is to reveal the meaning some people with psychiatric disabilities assigned to important experiences related to long periods of participation restrictions owing to unemployment and sick leave. The data comprise open-ended interviews with eight informants. A hermeneutic approach together with a comparative analysis was used to analyze the data. The results showed six types of mechanisms important for the outcome of the rehabilitation process: support, understanding, time, control, self-image and vision of the future. Our results indicate that environmental factors such as experience of support and understanding of professionals and time-efficacy seemed to have a great effect on the individuals' attitudes concerning the activities and measures they expected to carry out during their coming rehabilitation. These experiences seemed to affect their belief in their own abilities, their sense of control, and their belief in successful performance. Theories about empowerment closely related to social emotions like pride and shame are also discussed in an attempt to deepen the understanding of the studied phenomena

The employer's perspective: employment of people with disabilities in wage subsidized employments

The aim of this article is to examine employers' perspectives of the conditions of employment of people with disabilities within a context of wage subsidies. Employers in different workplaces were interviewed, and the interviews were analysed according to qualitative content analysis (Graneheim and Lundman 2004). The results show that four factors – attitude, matching, economic incentives and accommodations – are important for the employment of people with disabilities within a context of wage subsidies. Positive earlier experiences of people with disabilities serve as one of the reasons employers are willing to consider people with disabilities for jobs, but for hiring to take place, there must also be a match between the right person and the right job. Wage subsidies are seen, within this context, as an incentive to hire people who have reduced work capacity; accommodations are seen as necessary for the successful implementation of such hiring decisions. This knowledge can be applied in the design of support measures for unemployed people with disabilities

Social representation of hearing aids: Cross-cultural study in India, Iran, Portugal, and the United Kingdom

This article was published in the following Dove Press journal: Clinical Interventions in Aging and available at http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S86108Background: The current study was aimed at understanding the social representation of hearing aids in India, Iran, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. We also compared these results to explore the cross-cultural differences and similarities among these countries. Methods: The study involved a cross-sectional design, and the data were collected from four different countries using the snowball sampling method. Data were analyzed using a content analysis to identify the most-similar categories of responses reported, a co-occurrences analysis to see which of these categories are reported commonly, and a chi-square analysis to study if there was any association between positive, neutral, and negative connotations among participants in different countries. Results: The current study revealed four different social representations of hearing aids from India, Iran, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, and also a global index. Conclusion: The study results provide very useful insights into how hearing aids are represented in the society. These findings may have important implications for public education and also for manufacturers from the viewpoint of designing and marketing hearing aids in different countries

The ICF core sets for hearing loss project : international expert survey on functioning and disability of adults with hearing loss using the international classification of functioning, disability, and health (ICF)

OBJECTIVE : To identify relevant aspects of functioning, disability, and contextual factors for adults with hearing loss (HL) from hearing health professional perspective summarized using the ICF classification as reference tool. DESIGN : Internet-based cross-sectional survey using open-ended questions. Responses were analysed using a simplified content analysis approach to link concept to ICF categories according to linking rules. STUDY SAMPLE : Hearing health professionals (experts) recruited through e-mail distribution lists of professional organizations and personal networks of ICF core set for hearing loss steering committee members. Stratified sampling according to profession and world region enhanced the international and professional representation. RESULTS : Sixty-three experts constituted the stratified sample used in the analysis. A total of 1726 meaningful concepts were identified in this study, resulting in 209 distinctive ICF categories, with 106 mentioned by 5% or more of respondents. Most categories in the activities & participation component related to communication, while the most frequent environmental factors related to the physical environment such as hearing aids or noise. Mental functions, such as confidence or emotional functions were also frequently highlighted. CONCLUSIONS : More than half (53.3%) of the entire ICF classification categories were included in the expert survey results. This emphasizes the importance of a multidimensional tool, such as the ICF, for assessing persons with hearing loss.Oticon Foundation and Hörselforskningsfonden (Swedish hearing research foundation)http://informahealthcare.com/loi/ijahb201

The ICF core sets for hearing loss project : functioning and disability from the patient perspective

OBJECTIVE : To explore areas of functioning, disability, and environmental factors of adults with hearing loss (HL) by using the ICF classification as a tool to determine and document each element. DESIGN : A qualitative study applying mainly focus-group methodology was applied. STUDY SAMPLE : Thirty-six Dutch and South African adults (≥ 18 years of age) with HL (20-95 dB HL) who used oral communication as first communication. Summative content analysis was performed on the transcripts by linkage to appropriate ICF categories. RESULTS : 143 ICF categories were identified, most of which belonged to the Activities & Participation (d) component, closely followed by the Environmental factors component. Participants specifically mentioned categories related to oral communication and interaction. Assistive technology (such as hearing aids), noise, and support by and attitudes of others in the environment of the participants were considered highly influential for functioning and disability. CONCLUSIONS : The present study illustrates the complex and encompassing nature of aspects involved in functioning and disability of adults with HL. Findings highlight the necessity of using a multidimensional tool, such as the ICF, to map functioning and disability with hearing loss, allowing consideration and evaluation of aspects that are both internal and external.The Oticon Foundationhttp://www.tandfonline.com/loi/iija20hb2017Speech-Language Pathology and Audiolog

Research on Deafness and Higher Education Discussion Based on an Overview of Research

The research conducted mainly by researchers at NTID has contributed in an important and valuable way to our understanding of the problems involved in this issue. However, about 90 percent of hearing-impaired students are attending institutions outside Gallaudet or NTID, what is needed is knowledge about the conditions for the deaf and hard-of-hearing students in mainstreamed colleges and universities. From what is known about the changes regarding labor market, demography, and educational system the lack of knowledge about deaf and hard-of-hearing students in this setting seems serious. The research task should be to find the social mechanisms that underlie the educational process in terms of integration and attrition. The mechanisms in motion could be found if we focus on the Deaf World and the Hearing World and the Educational Community