subject: Hearing Impairment And The Many Possibilities [print this page] Good communication is deterred by hearing loss problems and this is something that over 14 million Americans today worry about. The week of Sept 21-28 has been designated Deaf Awareness Week and the counselor for the East Harris County coop for the deaf will be helping to make the week a success. The counselor works with hearing impaired children at several schools in their area. Proving to be one astounding lady, she has a master's degree that is special education certified in counseling and before that, a bachelor of science degree in teaching hearing impaired and children that could hear as well.
We have designed the coop to enable children with auditory handicap from ages 0 to 21, obtain the good kind of education they deserve too, she avers. Supervising the coop team is another lady, who dutifully looks after the roster of interpreters, counselors, speech pathologists, advisors, reading specialists and diagnosticians. As one team, we achieve things, she shares.
Teachers coming from different schools also play a vital role, she adds. These are experts when it comes to deaf children and they also know how to use the aides that will ease the process of learning for the kids. Students, whose hearing problems encompass all degrees of deafness, must be referred to the program in order to receive services the program offers. By abiding by the total communication philosophy standards as her road map in teaching deaf students, she gets them to learn by speech exercises, speech reading, auditory training, plain and fast reading, sign language, composition, finger spelling, gesture techniques, pantomimes as well as body language right after she diagnoses their personal needs.
By involving the families of the deaf children, this program truly sets itself apart. It is extremely vital for the parents to truly know what deafness is all about and for them to establish open lines of communication with the children. Sign language classes for parents are also provided by the program as well as speech and language lessons for home use. In order to make the deaf children take pride in themselves, the center created the Deaf Awareness Week.
It is only a disability if they choose to see it in that way. They must be perceived as children and deafness must be seen as a small part in their lives. I hope to make a good change, no matter how difficult things may be, she said.
She will also let you in on the contraptions especially made for the deaf. Devices like hearing aids, alternative materials that assist the deaf along with caring for such things will be what they shall delve into. The dear can now hear, thanks to sign language.
Isn't sign language just amazing? She shares how she often tells the children about gaining that advantage by being able to express themselves even when they are eating and their mouths are full. A flashing light on telephones and fire alarms and closed caption TV sets are some of the paraphernalia in training the deaf to communicate.
During the week dedicated to Deaf Awareness, the local municipal library shows their support by exhibiting special publications and bulletin boards. Deaf Awareness Week is also important at the library because a municipal library employee is hearing impaired. Her hearing got completely impaired right after she was diagnosed with spinal meningitis by her doctor.
She said that while she was in Washington state, she got spinal meningitis which left her totally deaf. Thirty years, my sense of hearing worked well but now, it is already gone. I was scared and afraid, I didn't know how I would get along without being able to hear, she said.
