An Educator's Guide to Hearing Disability Issues

gender bias /accessibility / funding / hearing disability / visual disability / other disabilities

Background on hearing impairment More than one million children in the United States have some form of hearing loss. At some point in their career, most educators will work with a child who is hearing impaired. Therefore, it is imperative for educators to understand what a hearing loss is and how to make necessary adaptations within the classroom to allow the hearing impaired child to flourish. In almost every school system in the United States, the Internet and other technology have become an integral component of the curriculum. While most children do not have trouble accessing the Internet or other technologies, hearing impaired children will undoubtedly encounter greater accessibility challenges. It is important for educators to understand how technology within the classroom can benefit the hearing impaired child. However, teachers must also understand that technology can also create barriers for those with disabilities. Once educators fully understand the impacts of technology on the hearing impaired child they will be able to make their classroom more accessible for all students. Making the classroom more accessible for the hearing impaired child can only be accomplished if the educators understand hearing loss and the restrictions that a hearing loss may impose on an individual. Only once the teacher understands what a hearing loss is, may they begin to comprehend how technology can benefit the hearing impaired individual and in some cases hamper or restrict learning for the person with a hearing disability. In order to make the classroom accessible for hearing impaired individuals it is necessary for teachers to understand the different types of hearing loss. Hearing impairment is often referred to as the invisible handicap. To explain, a hearing loss is not visible and it is often overlooked and misunderstood. Once educators fully understand what a hearing loss is, they will then be able to make the curriculum within their classroom more accessible to all individuals.

What is a hearing impairment?

Hearing impairment is best defined as a lack or reduction in the ability to hear clearly due to a problem somewhere in the hearing mechanism. A hearing impairment can occur in the outer, middle, or inner ear along the pathway to the brain (National, 43). A complete audiological assessment consisting of many tests will best determine and specify the type of loss a child has. Once the loss has been determined parents and educators will be able to help their child develop the necessary skills needed to develop speech and language skills and communicate effectively. Early detection of a hearing loss is imperative so invention and treatment can be established immediately. Parents and teachers of a child with hearing impairment must be educated. Understanding a child's hearing loss will help the child flourish and develop the necessary skills to adapt to their hearing loss. One must understand how the ear works in order to understand the type of loss a child has. To explain, "sound travels through the air in the form of waves of varying frequency. The frequencies of these waves determine the pitches of the sound that is heard. Sound waves are channeled into the external ear canal where they are transmitted to the middle ear, which consists of the eardrum and three small bones in the ear cavity. This part of the ear serves as an amplification system. The middle ear compensates for the loss of the intensity of sound as it travels from the air medium of the middle war to a fluid medium within the inner ear known as the cochlea. Sound travels as waves of fluid to a specific area depending on the frequency of the sound in the cochlea. The fluid movement then causes the tectorial membrane to vibrate against the hair cells, which then stimulates the auditory nerve. The auditory nerve is responsible for transmitting the sound stimuli to the auditory center in the brain. The components that make up the sound and speech that are heard are coordinated and sent to higher centers of the brain for interpretation''( Schwartz, 3).

Classifications of hearing loss There are three types of hearing loss: conductive , sensorineural , and mixed . A conductive hearing loss is a result of damage to outer or middle ear. Conductive losses are not severe and often times can be surgically corrected. A person with a conductive loss may reap great benefits from hearing aids. A sensorineural hearing loss is a result of damage to the hair cells of the inner ear or nerves. This type of loss ranges from mild to profound and is permanent. In other words, surgery cannot be performed to correct a sensorineural hearing loss. Often times, hearing aids are not helpful either. While the aids may amplify sounds, the sounds are still distorted. A mixed hearing loss simply means that the hearing problem occurs in the outer or middle ear and inner ear.

Degrees of hearing loss There are different degrees of hearing loss. Below is a chart that lists and classifies the degrees of hearing loss according the dB range in which sound is heard. Degree of hearing loss Normal Hearing Mild Hearing Loss Moderate Hearing Loss Severe Hearing Loss Profound Hearing Loss dB range 0-20dB 20-40 dB 40-65 dB 65-90dB 95 and up dB

Reading an audiogram An audiogram is a picture of your hearing. The results of your hearing test are recorded on an audiogram. The audiogram to the below demonstrates different sounds and where they would be represented on an audiogram. The yellow banana shaped figure represents all the sounds that make up the human voice when speaking at normalconversational levels. To learn more about audiograms, click on these links: 1.) American Academy of Audiology Consumer guide to understanding audiograms 2.) EarInfo Slide show about audiograms and how to read them

Configurations of hearing loss Next, one must understand the configuration of a hearing loss. There are three types of configurations: rising, sloping, and flat. A rising configuration means that a person can hear high pitch tones better than low pitch tones. A sloping configuration means that a person can hear low pitch tones better than high pitch tones. Finally, a flat configuration means that a person needs the same amount of loudness to hear a low or high pitched sound (Schwartz, 31). Finally, it is important to understand the symmetry of a hearing loss. If a person has the same degree and type of hearing loss and configuration in each ear, the loss is symmetrical. However, if the degree and type of hearing loss and configuration varies or is different in each ear, the loss is classified as asymmetrical. It is important to note that hearing loss affects all individuals differently. While some hearing disabled people may benefit from hearing aids or amplification, others may not. It is extremely important to talk with the hearing disabled person and find out exactly what type of loss they have in order to accommodate their needs.

Restrictions of the hearing impaired

Many individuals with hearing impairment face many restrictions when they use technology. Often times hearing impaired people are limited to the amount of technology because it is not accessible. For example, many hearing impaired individuals cannot listen to live voice mail or on-line audio chat because amplification cannot be made loud enough or because the sound is not clear to the listener. Most people believe that if hearing impaired individuals wear hearing aids or other types of amplification that they can hear anything. While hearing aids do help amplify sound, they do not help clarify the sound. To explain, a person who suffers from a nerve damage hearing loss will not fully benefit from hearing aids. The hearing aids will make all sound louder; however, just because the sound level is increased does not mean the hearing impaired person will be able to clearly understand the sound. Hearing aid amplification can be compared to a car radio. In other words, just as the volume control on the radio makes the sound louder, the hearing aid makes the sound louder. However, if the radio is not tuned into a station then it does not matter how loud the sound is because all that is heard is static. This is similar to how some hearing impaired individuals hear. The sound is amplified but not necessarily clear. There is no technology available that can clarify sound for hearing impaired persons. By visiting www.neurophys.wisc.edu/animations/, one can actually listen to what speech and music sound like to a person with normal hearing, moderate hearing loss, or severe hearing loss. These computer generated on-line simulations will help educators and other people who communicate with the hearing impaired understand what struggles a hearing impaired person may encounter when relying on only auditory information. It is important for educators to understand that talking louder or using a microphone will not always be helpful. Most hearing impaired individuals need a text version of any type of auditory presentation.

How to make a classroom more accessible for the hearing impaired Many educators who use technology within the classroom need to make it more accessible for hearing impaired students. For most students, the World Wide Web has proven to be a wonderful resource for learning and communication. However, some individuals are not able to gain all of the benefits the Web has to offer because of their disability. Many people who are hearing impaired cannot fully participate in the Web's modernized graphics, audio, and video capabilities. To explain, some teachers use multimedia presentations to teach lesson plans. While multimedia presentations can be dynamic they are certainly not fully accessible to most hearing impaired people. For instance, some WWW sites have incorporated short movie or audio clips to their sites. Obviously, without captions or audio descriptions a hearing impaired student is certain to miss the majority of information presented. Fortunately, Apple is aware of this accessibility issue and has created Quick Time 4.0, which is software that allows captions and descriptions to be incorporated into a movie or audio clip using either a Macintosh or PC. Adding captions or descriptions into multimedia presentations is one way in which educators can easily make their classroom more accessible for the hearing impaired.

It is important to realize that captioning has many additional benefits. For instance, some computers are not equipped to produce sound. Therefore when a multimedia presentation is given, the viewer may miss important information that is given auditorally. If captions are present, the viewer is still able to follow the presentation without missing any content. Additionally, captions can also be a remarkable tool for increasing reading skills. Obviously, the more a student is exposed to the written English language, the better their reading skills will be. In addition to providing captioning on multimedia presentations, it is also imperative that educators provide captioned videos, movies, or filmstrips when a hearing impaired student is in the classroom. Most hearing disabled individuals struggle to understand the sound that comes from an audio presentation on videos, movies, or filmstrips. Therefore, the student will ultimately miss much of the important information presented auditorally. The following sources, taken from the book Access for All, provide captioned videos, filmstrips, and movies, which are available on loan to schools. Educators can write to the sources below to obtain information on captioned materials or visit The National Center to Improve Practice in Special Education Through Technology, Media, and Materials web site.

Captioning Resources
Gallaudet University Library 800 Florida Avenue, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002Gallaudet Media Distribution 3625 202-651-5051 voice 202-651-5052 TDD 6541 City West Parkway Harris Communications Eden Prairie, MN 55344-3248 1-800-825-6758 5000 Park Street North Services/Captioned Films/videos for the deaf St. Petersburg, FL 33709 1-800-237-6213 voice/TDD Burtonsville Commerce Center Sign Media 4020 Blackburn Lane Burtonsville, MD 20866 1-877-399-7446 817 Silver Springs #206 T.J. Publishers, Inc. Silver Springs, MD 20910 1-800-999-1168 5203 Leesburg Pike National Captioning Institute Falls Church, VA 22041 1-703-998-2400 voice/TDD

The Caption Center

125 Western Avenue Boston, MA 02134 1-617-492-9225

If captioned material is not available, the educator needs to provide supplemental material for the hearing impaired student. To explain, a teacher could provide written highlights of the video, movie, or filmstrip so the student would be able to learn the important information for the lesson. Having a hearing impaired student within the classroom will not always be easy because additional steps must be taken by the educator to ensure the hearing impaired person has full access to materials. Providing access educational material can be tedious and time consuming; however, it is important to remember that all students deserve equal access of educational materials and lessons within the classroom. In addition captioned videos, films, and movies, television programs viewed within the classroom also need to provide captions so the hearing impaired person can fully benefit from the program. Telecaption Adapters are available for television sets that do not have built in decoding capabilities. This small decoder is easy to use and quick to attach to a television set. All television sets with a 13 inch or larger monitor produced after 1993 have built in captioning systems which provided the viewer with a text version of the auditory sound (Solit 20).

Hypermedia instruction Another way an educator can make the classroom lessons more accessible for the hearing impaired student is through Hypermedia instruction. Hypermedia instructional applications have proven to be extremely beneficial in the classroom. Most educators teach from a basal text book. Often times, the students participate in the round robin reading approach. This type of approach requires students to follow along in their text book while the teacher or other class mates read aloud. Many hearing impaired students have problems staying on task and following along because they can hear what the speaker is saying. Therefore, the hearing impaired student does not gain the full benefits of the lesson. Hypermedia instruction is one way in which teachers can make their lessons more accessible for the hearing impaired student. According to Kyle Higgins, Ph.D., and Randall Boone, Ph.D., hypermedia is a hypertext document that includes graphics, speech, music, and video segments. When text is presented on a hypermedia page, it allows the reader to get the information in several ways: talking text which can be read aloud as computer generated speech or as a digitally recorded voice; related pictures, recordings, or videotapes can be used;

 reading can be abridged to provide outlines or summaries of information; graphic pictures are provided; key vocabulary in bold face type is used within the lessons to introduce new words; pictures of a word or new vocabulary can be accessed; the user can listen to the talking definition of the new vocabulary; the user can view a short video about the word. To explain, if a student was learning what a zebra was for the first time, the student could hear or read the definition, see a picture, and watch a video with captioning of zebra in its environment. Basically, the student is able to learn the information in several different ways (Higgins 138-140). Hypermedia instruction is simple to use and execute in the classroom. The software program allows teachers to create Hypermedia lessons adapted from basal textbooks through a template design. The template software is free which makes it accessible to those schools who many not have enough funding for technology within the classroom. However, in order for the program to be successfully executed one must a HyperCard application and 2 megabytes of RAM memory. The HyperCard is provided in the package of materials when a Macintosh computer is purchased. (Higgins 143)

Copyright Issues When Using Electronic Media Copyright issues are always present when using electronic media within the classroom. Many teachers become concerned about copying material from a textbook and adapting it into a Hypermedia lesson. The following examples illustrate situations that fall on either side of copyright infringement. These examples were taken from an article entitled, "Site based Software: Hypermedia Instructional Applications", by Kyle Higgins, Ph.D., and Randall Boone, Ph.D. 1. A teacher wants to create hypermedia lessons based on stories from the basal reader that she is using in her classroom. The classroom contains at least one copy of the basal reader book for each student in the class. Adapting material from the basal reader for use within this classroom probably does not involve infringement. 2. A teacher wants to create a hypermedia storybook based on a children's book as part of an instructional unit. The teacher buys one copy of the book to read aloud to the class and then transcribes the text into a hypermedia program. She then makes copies of the

hypermedia adaptation for every student in the class to read. This is very likely an infringement of copyright. Purchasing a copy of the book for every student, however, would probably alleviate the problem. Educators need to be fully aware of copyright laws when using technology like hypermedia in the classroom.

Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange (SAMI) Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange (SAMI) developed by Microsoft allows developers of multimedia software to easily add closed captioning to their work. Additionally, one can simply adaptable the appearance of their presentation and captions to satisfy their needs. According to the Microsoft web page, http://www.msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/enus/dnacc/html/atg_samiarticle.asp , "The SAMI file format specification is available to the public as an "open" (no licensing fee) standard." SAMI allows user to provide captioning to a large number of multimedia presentations. Therefore, when a teacher utilizes SAMI they can be sure to reach the hearing impaired student within their classroom when multimedia presentations are incorporated into lesson plans. (Goldberg, 128 -132) Click on the following links to learn more about SAMI : What is SAMI What is close d captioning SAMI demonstrations (to be downloaded)

Telecommunication Devices: Teachers who have a hearing impaired student may need to use a telecommunication device when communicating with the student via telephone. Some hearing impaired individuals are not able to carry on a conversation on a regular telephone because they cannot adequately hear the conversation. However, a TDD or TTY machine allows a hearing impaired person to communicate over telephone lines by typing which produces a printed version of the voice transmission. A TDD will need to be added to the school if the teacher needs to communicate with a hearing impaired person over the phone or if the

hearing impaired student needs to use the phone but cannot communicate on a regular voice telephone while at school. Furthermore, many hearing impaired students have parents who are hearing impaired of deaf. A TDD may be essential if the teacher needs to communicate with a parent who has impaired hearing. Most states are now required to have a relay service for TDD machines. According to an article entitled, "Technology and Telephone Relay Service", "a Telephone Relay Service, TRS, is an operator assisted interface between text terminals and voice terminals. In most TRS calls, a deaf or hard of hearing person dials a toll free number and requests that a call be made to a hearing person. The TRS operator places the call on a second line. The conversation between the text telephone user and the voice party takes place with assistance of the operator, who speaks the typed messages to the voice party and types the spoken message to the text telephone user." The TRS service allows a hearing impaired person to make or receive calls from hearing people who do not have a TDD phone. (Harkins, 175) The following sources can provide information about TDD machines and equipment. The following sources were taken from the book Access for All.

TYY/TDD Sources
Ameriphone Lucent Technologies Bell Lab Innovations Nxi Communications 450 Science drive Madison, WI 1-800-482-2424 Voice/TYY 53711 600 Mountain Avenue 1-888-4-lucent Murray Hill, NJ 0797 4505 S. Wasatch Blvd., 1-801-274-6001 voice Ste 120 Salt Lake City, UT 1-801-274-6004 TYY 84124 1-817-738-2485 voice 3309 Winthrop Suite 85 Fort Worth, TX 76116 1-817-738-8993 TDD 1-973-299-6627 voice 1246 Route 46 West Parsippany, NJ 07054 1-973-6626 TDD

Krown Manufacturing

Phone-TTY, Inc.

Additional Assistive Technology There are many other pieces of technology available to assist hearing impaired students within the regular classroom. These products would help make a classroom more accessible to a hard of hearing individual. For instance, speech development software allows persons with a hearing disability to practice speech with a computer while giving them feedback on their efforts. Speech recognition software allows a hearing disabled

student to understand most of what a teacher is saying because the micro-computer can print what is being spoken. An FM auditory training system is one more piece of equipment that may be a wonderful asset to a hearing impaired student in a regular classroom. The FM system directly links the student's hearing aid to a microphone worn by the classroom teacher. The sound is transmitted into a student's hearing aid. The system allows the student to hear an auditory presentation at a consistent loudness level from wherever the speaker is located in the classroom. This system helps to eliminate background noise like paper shuffling, desks moving, or students talking which may drowned out the teacher's voice. Other devices, such as, flashing lights or vibrators are of great importance to hearing impaired people. These types of devices flash or vibrate when a telephone, doorbell, alarm clock, fire alarm, tornado alarm sound. Lights have also been manufactured to flash to alert a hearing impaired student when the class period is over. To obtain additional information about assistive technology devices, visit the sites published at the end of this paper which are categorized under assistive technology. In conclusion, educators must understand what hearing impairment is and the restrictions that hearing impaired individual may encounter when using technology. Only once educators fully understand hearing impairment can they begin to make their classroom more accessible for hearing impaired students. Teachers must remember that hearing impaired students can flourish in the regular classroom setting if the proper accommodations are made for the student(s). Teachers should make every effort to provide captioning for all presentations, including auditory, visual, or multimedia, given within the classroom. Again, there are many wonderful resources available to assist educators as they adapt their lesson plans to meet the needs of the students in the class. The following is a list of disability related web sites found on the Internet. These sites have been complied in an article written by Marka Hayes entitled, "Individuals with disabilities using the Internet: a tool for information and communication".

Disability Web Related Sites: 1.) Resna Technical Assi stance Project Publishes projects funded through the TECH ACT 2.) Cornucopia of Disability Information, CODI Information about education, disabilities, statistics, computer access, web sites, etc. 3.) DisABILITY Information and Resources Mailing lists, newsgroups, web sites, and government listings

4.) Untangling the Web: Where do I go for Disability Information Lists many categories including resources, disability information, education, hearing and visual disabilities, mental/learning disabilities, assistive technology

Assistive Technology Related Web Sites 1.) ABLEDATA ABLEDATA is a national database of information on available assistive technology 2.) AbilityHub Assistive Technology for people with a disability who find operating a computer difficult, maybe even impossible. This web site will direct you to adaptive equipment and alternative methods available for accessing computers 3.) Assistive Technology Solutions (ATS) Specializes in the application of technology and accomodations to assist persons with disabilities

Disability Policy and Legislation 1.) ADA Internet homepage ADA homepage designed to make it easy for Americans to find information about the Americans with Disability ACT 2.) Access America disAbility.gov Sponsored by the Office of Disability Employment Policy (US Department of Labor) 3.) Department of Justices Section 508 The document that established requirements for technology access

General Accessibility Guidelines 1.) Alliance for Technology Access General reference for strategies on how to make web pages more accessible. 2.) Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) This site will test any site upon request for accessibility

3.) Microsoft's Accessibility and Disability Page Contains information on special disability features in Microsoft products 4.) IBM Special Needs Solutions Information on IBMs accessibly products and activities

Bibliography Goldberg, L. & Freed, G. "Maing Multimedia Accessible on the World Wide Web."Technology and Disability. 1998; Jul; 8(3): 127-132. Harkins, J., Levitt, H., & Strauss-Peltz, K. "Technology and Telephone Relay Service."Technology and Disability. 1994 Aug; 3(3): 173-194. Hayes, Marka, G. "Individuals with Disabilities Using the Internet: A Tool for Information and Communication." Technology and Disability. 1998 Jul; 8 (3): 153-158. Higgins, K. & Boone, R. "Site Bases Software: Hypermedia Instruction Application." Technology and Disability. 1994; 3 (2) : 137-147. Microsoft. " SAMI Enables Developers of Multimedia Software to Add Closed Captioning ", (May 1999). Microsoft. " Synchornized Accessible Media Interchange: Captioning and Audio Description ", (April 1999). National Information Center on Deafness (NICD) (1991). Growing Together: Information for Parents of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children. Washington, D.C.: NICD. Schwatz, Sue (Ed.) (1987). Choices in Deafness: A Parents Guide. Kenington, MD: Woodbine House. Solit, G., Taylor, M., & Bednarczyk, A., (1990). Access for All: Intergrating Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Hearing Preschoolers." Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University PreCollege. WISC. " Animations of Processes within the Ear ":(April 1999).