Hearing Impaired

Question: Hearing impaired? If you are hearing impaired, tell me how you feel... Imagine you can talk but having a hard time hearing the natural sound of sweetness. It's like " I hear no Devil" Anyway, I want to know how you guys feel about it and how you guys manage to live anyway.

Answer: I'm only partially deaf, but even then it gets very frustrating. I have a hard time hearing whispers or anyone talking in a low voice... so basically any quiet sweet talk is out of the question :( But over time I've managed to learn how to read lips (at least a little bit) so as I long as I know the subject material, I can usually guess whats being said. But, again, walks at night...or in the dark in general, I can't see the other person well enough to read their lips. *sigh*

Question: How many discrete intensity levels a hearing impaired ear can distinguish? I have a friend who is having a hard time with a report he is doing for school. He can't figure out..How many discrete intensity levels a hearing impaired ear can distinguish....

Answer: Ask Audiology department Technical staff.

Question: Do hearing impaired teens look different from normal kids? Do the hearing impaired teens have alike features to each other due to the illness? What are some ways the teens act different from normal teens? Thanks in advance I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend anyone I just thought that maybe things were different. I just wanna know more about hearing impaired teens from actual people and not from google or anything like that. I don't wanna read an entire website I just wanna hear from you guys. Maybe personal stories as well.

Answer: Whether or not their appearance is different is going to depend on the reason why they are hearing impaired, it is not necessarily due to an 'illness' as you put it. Their features are no more or less alike than the features of any other 2 teenagers you may come across. In the vast majority of cases, they are going to look exactly like any other teenager, with the difference that they might possibly have a small hearing aid or cochlea implant visible. I have friends who have hearing impairments and they act exactly the same as any other teenager, and enjoy doing exactly the same things. The only differences are that sometimes their speech can sound a little 'odd' as they are not accustomed to hearing what words sound like, or they may choose to communicate in sign language rather than talking. To the other answerers who have condemned you for asking the question: Admittedly it was not phrased in the most sensitive way, but how else are people meant to learn if they don't ask?! Refusing to answer isn't going to solve anything. Hope this helps. x

Question: If I have hearing impaired on my drivers license will it effect my insurance? I live in the State of Maryland. I currently have a hearing aid only in my right ear. I spoke with the Motor Vehicle office here and they said I can get a notation on my drivers license that says I am hearing impaired. The notation will have no limits on my actual driving. However, would insurance companies increase my insurance if I have this notation on my license?

Answer: You can compare how the insurance quotes would change, for example here - autoinsurance.hotusa.org

Question: Is there any difference between deaf and hearing impaired? When does hearing loss become classified as deaf or hearing impaired? Is it when it hits a certain percentage of hearing loss? What if you can hear, but only very little and hearing aids don't help?

Answer: Really the words "hearing impaired" is just another way of saying deafness, but it can also include those who have mild to moderate hearing loss. Let's say that you want have an educational program for students whom have hearing loss. To call it a "deaf program" would be too limited, so they would typically use the terms "hearing impaired" instead to cover all ranges of hearing loss. I went to a mainstream hearing impaired program at a public school during elementary school. There are state schools for the deaf where sign language is the main mode of communication. They use the word "deaf" because that is more of what they specialize in. Look here on this chart http://www.stronghealth.com/services/Audiology/hearing/degreehearingloss.cfm Degrees of hearing loss is classifed as: mild, moderate, moderate to severe, severe, and profound based on how much they can hear. Those whom have mild to moderate hearing loss are considered "hard-of-hearing" and those that have severe to profound hearing loss are "deaf." Hard of hearing people can understand what they hear with hearing aids, such has talking on the phone, recognize most sounds without problems. Those who are deaf, even when they wear hearing aids, they can't talk on the phone or recognize all sounds, just some of it. I'm profoundly deaf and wear hearing aids. I can't talk on the phone, but I can hear about 50% of sounds with my hearing aids. Without my hearing aids, I hear nothing.

Question: What support can you get from Driving Standards Agency, if you are a hearing impaired candidate? I am hearing impaired and my driving test is in a couple of days. Please give reasonable answers with accurate information sources.

Answer: Go on the Driving Standards Agency website to try and find out, and there should be an e-mail address or phone number you could try. Otherwise contact the driving test centre and see if they have information for you. Good luck in your test! x

Question: How accessible are the buildings to persons who are in wheelchairs, blind, or hearing-impaired? During your day think of the buildings you have enter, the streets you cross, and the activities in which you have participated in. How accessible are these to persons who are in wheelchairs, blind, or hearing-impaired? What areas have not been made accessible to these individuals? How does accessibility limit their participation in the activities in which you regularly participate? How could these areas be made more accessible to individuals with disabilities?

Answer: I am legally blind and I am hearing impaired...so: A lot of buildings which I have to enter do not have a wheelchair ramp right next to the steps---you have to go to another side of the building to access it with a wheelchair. When I need an elevator I am at a total loss....the elevators got a ding-dong sound when they come but not loud enough to distinguish when background noise is at a high level(as is the case in most hospital buildings). Additionally, rotating doors often are placed at an entrance with no door at the side to choose--again, you have to go somewhere else in the building to find a normal door. Sidewalks are often rough---they are not well maintained and I can see how people in a wheelchair have a hard time getting forward on them---and at some curbs there is still no wheelchair ramp making it impossible for persons in wheelchairs to croos a street. Street lights are pretty much the worst: I think that they should have a beeper so that blind people know when to cross---hearing impaired people can often hear the beep with hearing aids on, but if they are totally deaf, I don't really see how they can make it in busy areas......looks to me like a lot of work still needs to be done.....

Question: What type of education do I need to become a counselor for the hearing impaired? I am wanting to obtain a career as my children are getting older and I want to go back to school. I have a G.E.D. and am wanting to be a counselor for the hearing impaired. I know some sign lang. and want to learn more and counsel the deaf?

Answer: This link will help you http://deafness.about.com/cs/educationgeneral/f/teaching.htm Good Luck!!!