Nature of Disability

Understanding deafness and hearing impairments

The term 'Deaf' covers a very wide range of hearing loss, a range of communication needs and differing experiences and cultures. Each deaf person has a different hearing loss which includes not only the volume of residual hearing, but also the frequency of sound they can hear. A person with a high frequency loss will usually be better able to hear men's voices and consonants whilst a person with a low frequency loss will be better able to hear  women's voices and vowel sounds.Very few people experience absolute silence.

Types and causes of deafness

Deafness results when anything goes wrong with the normal hearing mechanism. There are two main types of deafness depending on which part of the ear is affected i.e. conductive and sensori-neural.  A third type is a mixture of both.

Conductive Deafness

This results from any obstruction in the outer or middle ear - the sound can't get through.  It may result from wax or inflammation in the outer ear; infection in the middle ear which may become full of liquid; a blocked Eustachian tube or abnormal growth of the tiny bones in the middle ear. Conductive deafness leads to a general muffling of external sounds but it can usually be overcome nowadays. A person with conductive deafness tends to have a soft voice as they can hear their own voice through bone conduction.

Sensori-neural Deafness

This is caused by damage to the hair cells in the inner ear and is more common than conductive deafness.  The tiny hair cells may be damaged by infection, drugs or hereditary causes.  Exposure to loud noise can cause sensori-neural deafness or tinnitus (ringing noises in the ear).  However, the most common cause is gradual deterioration of the hair cells with advancing age.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for sensori-neural deafness which often causes sounds to become distorted and meaningless.
Typical speech may be loud and possibly distorted as the person with this type of deafness has difficulty hearing their own voice.

Services and support offered

There is a wide range of support available to students with a hearing impairment.

• Sign language interpreters
• Note takers
• Support during work placements
• Communication support
• Language modification
• Personal equipment

Needs Assessment

The support provided will depend on recommendations made by your assessor when you have your Needs Assessment, therefore you will need to apply for Disabled Student' Allowances as soon as possible. Sheffield Regional Assessment Centre can undertake your needs assessment.