Empowering the deaf. Let the deaf be deaf

Abstract

Deafness is often regarded as just a one and only phenomenon. Accordingly, deaf people are pictured as a unified body of people who share a single problem. From a medical point of view, we find it usual to work with a classification of deafness in which pathologies attributable to an inner ear disorder are segregated from pathologies attributable to an outer/middle ear disorder. Medical intervention is thus concerned more with the origin, degree, type of loss, onset, and structural pathology of deafness than with communicative disability and the implications there may be for the patient (mainly dependency, denial of abnormal hearing behaviour, low self esteem, rejection of the prosthetic help, and the breakdown of social relationships). In this paper, we argue that hearing loss is a very complex phenomenon, which has many and serious consequences for people and involves many factors and issues that should be carefully examined. The immediate consequence of deafness is a breakdown in communication whereby the communicative function needs to be either initiated or restored. In that sense, empowering strategies-aimed at promoting not only a more traditional psychological empowerment but also a community one-should primarily focus on the removal of communication barriers. (J Epidemiol Community Health 2000;54:40-44) Pathology/disability model versus sociocultural model of deafness Over the past few years, two opposing perspectives of conceptualising deafness in contemporary society have been reported and discussed in scientific literature.

A web-based user survey for evaluating power saving strategies for deaf users of mobileASL

“…The pathological model focuses on people's audiological status and considers deafness a medical condition requiring treatment. This perspective classifies people with hearing loss as "disabled" or "handicapped," and is marked by negative stereotypes and prejudice [14,23]. Under this paradigm, deafness is perceived as the dominant quality of a group of people who share a "condition.…”

Psychosocial Adaptations to Dual Sensory Loss in Middle and Late Adulthood

“…Finally, there is considerable social stigma around both hearing loss and visual impairment which likely plays a role in the impediments to social participation among those with dual sensory loss. 82,83 However, there are considerable resources for promoting the psychosocial adaptation of persons with vision and/or hearing loss at the social level in the form of vision and aural rehabilitation providers, respectively. These formal, community-based service providers may be low vision specialists, audiologists, and other professionals (eg, rehabilitation teachers) who address the functional and psychosocial issues of sensory loss.…”

Engagement of dietetic students and students with hearing loss: Experiences and perceptions of both groups

“…Culturally Deaf individuals have their own language, specific customs and ways of behaving. [1] The deaf and persons with hearing loss (D/HL) are a minority group worldwide that faces challenges to achieve optimal health owing to various factors, [1][2][3][4] such as inequities in accessing healthcare, low reading levels, writing levels that often do not exceed those of 6th-grade English pupils, [3,5] not understanding health-related terminology, with a resultant inability to interpret written prescriptions, [5] missed appointments and misunderstood diagnoses. [1] D/HL find the attitude of healthcare professionals (HCPs) patronising, creating a barrier between them and HCPs in general.…”