Help And Hope For Those With Hearing Loss

There are many different kinds of resources and devices available for those who are hard of hearing. They range from finding the appropriate agencies to provide information, medical/surgical involvement, finding reputable hearing aid distributors to actual technological hardware and devices available for those who need help with daily tasks.

We all know that the most common assistive device for those suffering with hearing loss is the hearing aid. They come in all shapes, sizes and believe it or not, colors these days. Yes, they can match the ear mold (the part that goes into your ear) to your actual skin tone!! They are as large as the one that wraps around the ear to as small as the ones you place deep inside your ear canal. The biggest complaint from those who wear these is "it doesn't work for me". This is also MY biggest concern. The question I ask repeatedly of those with this problem is 1) do you know how to use it- what your settings should be left on, how to clean it, how to change batteries, how to do a sound check EVERY day and 2) did you purchase it from a qualified, licensed distributor recommended by your qualified, licensed audiologist. I have seen too many people lose their money to quacks who sell products they know nothing about. These are distributors who are not affiliated with a professional organization, university or hospital. Let me tell you this is not a small matter, especially when you consider that one hearing aid can cost up to a few thousand dollars!!

A program is available to children in the public school system if they do not qualify for special education services for one reason or another. It is called a 504 plan and is a regular education initiative. Let's say a student suffers a mild hearing impairment that does not call for hearing aids, however, the child still has a little difficulty hearing in the classroom and they could possibly get help through this plan. It could include items such as "preferential seating" or stating the child needs to sit up front in all classes to working with a peer coach before, during or after school to ensure they have their homework list for the day completed in detail.

The public school is also able to enroll students into special education to receive services if they are found to have significant delays that require specialized instruction that can not be provided in the regular education classroom. Services range from monitoring hearing aid use and upkeep to receiving an interpreter to sign for the hard-of-hearing student during classes. For this to happen, of course, testing needs to be completed and the school district and family need to determine what is appropriate for each child; whether special education is appropriate.

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