Basic hearing abilities become functionally important as people go about their everyday lives at home, at school, at work and in social and commercial contexts. Audition allows individuals to detect and distinguish relevant ambient noises, pinpoint the source as well as location of a sound. These most crucially, help perceive and comprehend spoken language. Even though hearing loss affects various people in different ways it may be a distressing experience. It can cause social, psychological, as well as physical issues for many people.
Hearing loss in children causes delays in speech along with language development, which in turn leads to learning difficulties, which typically end in poor school performance. As a result the child may find it difficult to remain in school. Research attributes the increasing percentage of high school student dropout rate amongst deaf kids to the unfavorable environment that promote isolation of deaf students (Lovretić et al., 2016). Note that confusion and frustration are often major contributors to a student’s poor academic performance. Adding to academic difficulties, kids with hearing loss may have social difficulties. Without the capacity to speak properly, individuals typically endure feelings of isolation as well as discontent in social interactions and good peer connections. If a kid with hearing loss feels excluded from social contacts or refuses to engage in group projects for fear of humiliation, she or she may withdraw socially, causing even more misery. Kids with hearing loss grow socially more slowly, which makes peer connections more difficult.
The occurrence of background noise is the most evident communication barrier in the workplace for someone with hearing loss. Noise is common in industrial settings, and among employees experiencing noise-induced deafness, noise is regularly noted as a hindrance and a cause of discomfort at work. Furthermore, employees with hearing loss emphasize physical factors of the workplace, the requirement to utilize telephones or even videoconferencing, the challenge of group communication settings, and the challenges posed by different speaker characteristics. Employer views are another impediment, as they are the single greatest obstacle to employment. Communication difficulties, social isolation, as well as unsupportive bosses are frequently among the challenges faced by deaf and hard-of-hearing employees. Employers of individuals with hearing loss express a variety of concerns, some of which are communication-related, while others are safety-related.
Individuals with severe hearing loss become less active compared to those who use hearing aids as they may not be able to participate in the same activities with others. When one cannot hear what is going on around him, card games, concerts, as well as some sports grow problematic. Many persons with complete hearing loss simply quit doing the hobbies they used to like because they are no longer able to hear them.
Interventions
Without the proper assistance, going to school with a hearing problem or deafness may be a difficult, lonely, and generally unproductive journey for a kid. Many hearing-impaired kids learn best in an atmosphere where they are not singled out as abnormal, but instead gain from little alterations that go undetected by others but are actually transforming for the kid (Kigotho, 2016). It is critical that kids with hearing problems get the help they need as soon as possible. Using the services of a communication support worker or a learning support assistant can be quite beneficial. They may guarantee the kid is supported while the teacher is able to devote appropriate attention to other students, whether they are in the classroom all of the time or only part of the time. Moreover, it is important to encourage a sense of belonging in the classroom as well as at school. This way, other students will be on the lookout for bullying and will take action to stop it.
Every deaf or hard-of-hearing employee must be taken into account when it comes to their fair inclusion and involvement in the workplace. Managers should design a cost-effective strategy for each employee to meet their demands in a reasonable manner. For example, the workplace may think about reducing background noise, such as air conditioning. It is also crucial to schedule team meetings far ahead of time so that sign language interpreting services may be scheduled. Consider where workstations should be placed so that employees can see and be seen. Keeping track of where speakers stand during presentations, as well as using lighting and visual aids to improve communication, might help guarantee that all employees are included in meetings (Heyko, 2021). Importantly, prepare for auditory alerts and have a backup plan in place for deaf staff, such as flashing lights. Create an on-site peer support structure, and encourage other employees to take advantage of sign language training.
Independency Levels
Communication, information, and movement barriers resulting from complete loss of hearing can have major emotional and social effects, limit informed decision-making, and limit functional independence as well as the capacity to do everyday chores. Barriers to deaf people communicating with their surroundings might cause significant levels of stress and difficulty staying focused. Deaf individuals regularly require assistance to overcome obstacles to independence or rather active participation in the community, such as attitudes of others, inadequate of expirience, and unreachable or only partly accessible surroundings (Theil et al., 2020). Relatives and practitioners can encourage self-determination by acting in ways that demonstrate that they understand that deaf adults are capable of making their own decisions. Nevertheless, making well-informed decisions necessitates access to information and resources, as well as good communication. Deaf persons may necessitate networks of support, usually incorporating others who can speak with them and maintain that communication, but they should also endeavor to accomplish as much as possible without assistance in order to be self-sufficient.
Parents may overprotect deaf kids, while older deaf individuals may be overprotected by their children (Theil et al., 2020). Deaf kids are more likely to develop overdependence with learned helplessness. In addition, they have a higher risk of depression and self-control issues as a result of more troublesome interactions with caretakers. Many elderly deaf individuals, on the other hand, are anxious about pressure from grownup family members to give up their freedom and relocate to a more organized or protected living environment. Family disagreement may result from a misunderstanding between their goals for continuous independence as well as perceived efforts by family to restructure their life.
Reflection
Deafness is a handicap that has a significant influence on communication, academic attainment, and, as a result, occupational training and placement opportunities for these people. The assignment helps in understanding the various challenges that deaf individuals encounter in their daily lives. For instance, the deaf lack recognition within the community with little acceptance and utilization of sign language across the globe.
As a nurse, I require deaf awareness training so that I may respond correctly and compassionately to the needs of deaf individuals, making my services more accessible and supportive. Indeed, developing culturally appropriate information that reflects their actual, contextual realities and concerns is critical to properly nursing deaf patients.
References
Heyko, D. Y. (2021). Supporting d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Employees in Their Workplaces Through Technology, Design, and Community (Doctoral dissertation, Association for Computing Machinery).
Kigotho, L. W. (2016). Barriers faced by students with hearing impairment in inclusive learning environment, a case of the University of Nairobi (Doctoral dissertation, University of Nairobi).
Lovretić, V., Pongrac, K., Vuletić, G., & Benjak, T. (2016). Role of social support in quality of life of people with hearing impairment. Journal of Applied Health Sciences= Časopis za primijenjene zdravstvene znanosti, 2(1), 5-14.
Theil, A., Buchweitz, L., Fuentes, M., & Korn, O. (2020, July). Co-Designing Assistive Tools to Support Social Interactions by Individuals Living with Deafblindness. In Companion Publication of the 2020 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference (pp. 79-83).
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