What is Hearing Loss

What is hearing loss?

Hearing loss is a loss of the loudness and/or clarity of sounds.

Temporary hearing loss can be normal
Most people have had temporary hearing loss at least once in their lives. If you have a cold or have been exposed to loud noise for a short while you may feel a little bit deaf.

Or if the air pressure around you is changing, for example while diving or flying, your ears may feel 'blocked'. In these cases your hearing should return to normal within a couple of days at most. If it doesn't, see a doctor.

Are there different types of hearing loss?
There are two types of hearing loss. Conductive hearing loss is due to problems affecting sound transmission through the outer or middle ear. It leads to a loss of loudness and can often be corrected. It's like listening to someone speaking very softly or from a distance.

Sensorineural hearing loss arises in the inner ear or hearing nerve. It reduces loudness and clarity. As well as the sound not being loud enough, it is distorted so that it can't be understood by the listener – a bit like listening to a foreign language.

How do I know if I'm affected?
Unless you have a moderate to severe hearing loss you'll probably have no problem talking face to face with someone. However, you might find it difficult hearing someone in a noisy environment or from a distance. You may also find some higher pitched voices or words hard to pick up. You may need to listen to the television or radio at a volume that is too loud for others. And you may not always hear the telephone or doorbell when it rings.

Deaf People
People who are born deaf, or children who become deaf before they learn to speak come to depend much more heavily on their sight than hearing people.

Their natural language is sign language. Although they are taught English as a second language it is difficult for them to learn and it is extremely difficult for them to develop clear speech.

As their deafness can't be expected to get better they see their problem as one of communication, rather than a medical problem. However, with the deaf community the communication problem disappears.

When deaf people talk to hearing people they use English words (if known) and talk more slowly. When talking among themselves their signing is fast and fluent.

Facial expressions, eye contact and gestures are very important in a visual language. Hearing people might find deaf people 'over the top' with their expressions and gestures. Deaf people often think hearing people are dull and unresponsive.

Deaf people like to sit or stand slightly further away when talking to another person to give themselves room to sign.

Communication between deaf and hearing people works far better when the hearing person makes an effort to adapt to the deaf person's communication needs.

Hearing Impaired People
Hearing impaired people are more likely to rely on spoken language than deaf people. In most cases they have clearer speech and better access to the hearing world but still need hearing people to make an effort.

Hearing impaired people can often find solutions to some of the problems created by their hearing loss with the use of hearing aids and other assistive devices. However, in other situations, such as in a court room, at a conference or at lectures when more than one person is speaking or the speaker is a long way away, additional assistance will be required.

People choose the culture to which they feel they belong. Many people whose hearing loss isn't severe don't consider themselves part of the hearing impaired community. Others who are severely hearing impaired may feel more at home in the deaf community.

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