Hearing Impairments
Federal Definition (Including IDEA) and other commonly used definitions)
Hearing - The capacity to hear, with amplification, is limited, impaired, or absent and results in one or more of the following: reduced performance in hearing acuity tasks; difficulty with oral communication; and/or difficulty in understanding auditorally-presented information in the education environment. The term includes students who are deaf and students who are hard-of –hearing.
http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/links/Deaf.html
Hearing impairment is defined by IDEA as "an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance."
http://www.childpsychologist.com/mod/resource/view.php?id=14
Deafness is defined as "a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification." http://www.childpsychologist.com/mod/resource/view.php?id=14
Causations of disabilities (when known)
· Conductive hearing impairment. A hearing impairment, usually mild, resulting from malfunctioning along the conductive pathway of the ear (i.e., the outer or middle ear).
· Sensorineural hearing impairment. A hearing impairment, usually severe, resulting from malfunctioning of the inner ear.
· Mixed hearing impairment. A hearing impairment resulting from a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing impairments.
· External otitis. An infection of the skin of the external auditory canal; also called swimmer’s ear.
· Otitis media. Inflammation of the middle ear.
· Connexin-26 gene. A gene, the mutation of which causes deafness; the leading cause of congenital deafness in children.
· Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV). The most frequently occurring viral infection in newborns; can result in a variety of disabilities, especially hearing impairment.
(Hallahan, Kauffman, and Pullen, 2009, p. 346- 347)
Characteristics of disabilities
· Sign Language. A manual language used by people who are deaf to communicate; a true language with its own grammar.
· Intellectual Ability. Same as in hearing population.
· Academic Achievement. Most students who are deaf have large deficits in academic achievement. The average student who is hearing impaired leaves school with a deficit of at least five years in reading, and trail hearing peers in math by substantial margins.
· Social Adjustment. A person who is deaf can find problems finding people with whom to converse. Studies have demonstrated that many students who are deaf are at risk for loneliness.
o Deaf Culture.
§ Linguistic differentiation. Deaf communities view themselves as bilingual, with individuals possessing varying degrees of fluency in ASL and English (Ladd, 2003; Padden & Humphries, 2005)
§ Attitudinal deafness. Refers to whether a person thinks of himself or herself as deaf.
§ Behavior norms. A few examples of behavior norms are that people in the deaf community value informality and physical contact in their interactions with one another, often giving each other hugs when greeting and departing.
§ Endogamous marriage. The deaf community tends to frown on “mixed marriages” between people who are deaf and those who are hearing.
o Historical awareness. Awareness of significant people and event pertaining to people who are def permeates the Deaf community. They are often deferential to elders and value their wisdom and knowledge pertaining to Deaf traditions.
· Voluntary organizational networks. Some examples are the National Association of the Deaf, the World Games for the Deaf (Deaf Olympics), and the National Theatre of the Deaf.
o Concern for the Erosion of Deaf Culture.
o Deaf Activism: The Gallaudet Experience. Students advocated for there to be a deaf President.
o Deaf Activism: The Cochlear Implant Debate. A surgical procedure that allows people who are deaf to hear some environmental sounds; an external coil fitted on the skin by the ear picks up sound form a microphone worn by the person and transmits it to an internal coil implanted in the bone of the ear, which carries it to an electrode implanted in the cochlea of the inner ear. Many people in the deaf community oppose this procedure.
o Deaf Activism: The Genetic Engineering Debate.
(Hallahan, Kauffman, and Pullen, 2009, p. 348- 355)
What does a student with (specific disability) need from a teacher (regarding structure and organization, curriculum, expectations, special adaptations, transition, and/or social relationships with peers)?
· Oralism-manualism debate. The controversy over whether the goal of instruction for students who are deaf should be to teach them to speak or to teach them to use sign language.
· Total communication approach. An approach for teaching students with hearing impairments that blends oral and manual techniques.
· Bicultural-bilingual approach. An approach for teaching students with hearing impairments that stresses teaching American Sign Language as a first language and English as a second language and promotes the teaching of the Deaf culture.
· Auditory-verbal approach. Part of the oral approach to teaching students who are hearing impaired; stresses teaching the person to use his or her remaining hearing as much as possible; heavy emphasis on use of amplification; heavy emphasis on teaching speech.
· Auditory-oral approach. An oral approach to teaching students who are hearing impaired; like auditory-verbal approach, stresses use of remaining hearing, amplification, and speech, but also includes use of visual cues.
· Speechreading. A method that involves teaching children to use visual information from a number of sources to understand what is being said to them; more than just lip reading, which uses only visual clues arising from the environment of the mouth in speaking.
· Cued speech. A method to aid speech reading in people with hearing impairment; the speaker uses hand shapes to represent sounds.
· Homophenes. Sounds that are different but that look the same with regard to movements of the face and lips.
· Signing English systems. Used simultaneously with oral methods in the total communication approach to teaching students who are deaf; different from American Sign Language because they maintain the same word order as spoken English.
· Fingerspelling. Spelling the English alphabet by using various finger positions on one hand.
· Text Telephone (TT). A device connected to a telephone be a special adapter; allows communication over the telephone between people who are hearing impaired and those with hearing; sometimes referred to as a TTY (teletype) or TDD (telecommunication device for the deaf).
· Video relay service (VRS). A service, using a sign language interpreter, a video camera or computer, and an Internet connection, that allows persons who are deaf to communicate with those who are hearing.
(Hallahan, Kauffman, and Pullen, 2009, p. 355- 362)
Organizations that support, work for, or advocate for the disability.
National Association of the Deaf
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD), established in 1880, is the oldest and largest constituency organization safeguarding the accessibility and civil rights of 28 million deaf and hard of hearing Americans in education, employment, health care, and telecommunications.
World Federation of the Deaf
WFD is the international non-governmental organization representing Deaf people worldwide. A non-profit organization, WFD works for human rights and equal opportunity for Deaf people everywhere. WFD promotes the right of Deaf people to use sign language to access education, information and all other spheres of life. In this way will Deaf people achieve equality and human rights.
Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf
The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is an international membership organization and resource center on hearing loss and spoken language approaches and related issues.
Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf
It is the mission of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc., to provide international, national, regional, state, and local forums and an organizational structure for the continued growth and development of the professions of interpretation and transliteration of American Sign Language and English.
Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center
The Clerc Center has been mandated by Congress to develop, evaluate, and disseminate innovative curricula, instructional techniques and strategies, and materials. The aim of the Clerc Center is to improve the quality of education for deaf and hard of hearing children and youth from birth through age 21.
Council on Education of the Deaf
Since its inception in 1930, CED has been recognized for maintaining high standards for persons working with deaf and hard of hearing students in the education process. CED is involved in establishing standards and providing teacher certification and evaluating university professional preparation programs based on clearly defined standards and criteria.
American Society for Deaf Children
ASDC is a national organization of families and professionals committed to education, empowering, and supporting parents and families to create opportunities for their children who are deaf and hard of hearing in gaining meaningful and full communication access, particularly through the competent use of sign language, in their homes, schools, and communities.
American Sign Language Teachers Association
The American Sign Language Teachers Association - ASLTA - is the only national organization dedicated to the improvement and expansion of the teaching of ASL and Deaf Studies at all levels of instruction. ASLTA is an individual membership organization of more than 1,000 ASL and Deaf Studies educators from elementary through graduate education as well as agencies.
National Theatre of the Deaf
Through its thirty-four year history, The National Theatre of the Deaf stands as testimony to the artistry and capability of its Actors. There have been 64 national tours, performances in all 50 states, all the continents, 31 international tours and over 8,000 performances earning NTD its place in theatrical history as the oldest continually-producing touring theatre company in the United States.
The Rhythm Channel Foundation for Deaf Musicians, Inc.
The Rhythm Channel Foundation for Deaf Musicians, Inc. (RCFDM) has recognized that the hearing impaired are in need of a pro-active effort to keep music alive and in-tune with how the deaf "hear" music. RCFDM is taking a stand within the music industry to encourage labels to return to the printing of lyrics in artist releases and encouraging music video producers and networks to include closed captioning as a supplemental tool for the hearing impaired to have their music world enhanced to the greatest degree for enjoyment.
American Deafness and Rehabilitation Association (ADARA): Professionals Networking for Excellence in Service Delivery to Individuals Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Our mission is to facilitate excellence in human service delivery with individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. This mission is accomplished by enhancing the professional competencies of the membership, expanding opportunities for networking among ADARA colleagues and supporting positive public policies for individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. In achieving the mission, ADARA members are committed to: full access for members to all aspects of the organization's business, including Board matters, conference planning, presentations and journal publications, recognizing and affirming the ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity of the membership, and fostering an inclusive language community through the use of American Sign Language, signed communication, and other communication strategies used by all members at ADARA events in order to strive for barrier-free communication.
International Center on Deafness and the Arts
This is a website for programs in the area of the arts that are offered to deaf and hard of hearing children in the local Chicago area. Our most famous graduate is Marlee Matlin!
Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Losses
The Association of Medical Professionals With Hearing Losses, abbreviated as "AMPHL", provides information, promotes advocacy and mentorship, and creates a network for individuals with hearing losses interested in or working in health care fields.
Deafness-Related Health Care Organizations
Issues about general health care topics, mental health, and chemical dependency
Diversity within Deaf Culture
Resources about Deaf special interest groups - women, gay, lesbian, black, Asian, Latino, Hispanic, Native American, hard of hearing, & CODA
http://www.deaflinx.com/Professional/org.html
Long term implications of the disability on adolescents and adults
Unemployment and underemployment (being overqualified for a job) have been persistent problems for persons with hearing impairment, especially women (Punch, Hyde, & Creed, 2004; Schirmer, 2001). The reasons why those who are hearing impaired have a more difficult time finding appropriate and satisfying employment have a lot to do with a poor understanding on the part of the hearing population of what it means to have a hearing impairment and what accommodations they can make in the workplace (Punch, Hyde, & Creed, 2006). Likewise, people with hearing impairments, themselves, often aren’t prepared to ask for the right accommodations and have difficulties making good career choices (Punch et al., 2004) (Hallahan, Kauffman, and Pullen, 2009, p. 369)
Current trends
Even though most authorities would agree that having a sign language interpreter in one of the best accommodations, it’s important to keep in mind that this is a far cry from leveling the academic playing field for students with hearing impairments. When hearing students and students who are deaf hear and see (through interpretation) the same lecture, the students who are deaf don’t learn as much of the material (Marschark, Pelz, et al., 2005; Marschark, Sapere, Convertino, & Seewagen, 2005; Marschark, Sapere, Convertino, Seewagen, & Maltzen, 2004) (Hallahan, Kauffman, and Pullen, 2009, p. 370)
Annotated bibliography of at least 6 resources
(websites, booklist, articles) for each disability area
· Information on the anatomy of the ear, including drawings, can be found at a Website called Virtual Tour of the Ear: www.augie.edu/perry/ear/hearmech.htm
· The Virtual Tour of the Ear home page at http://ctl.augie.edu/perry/ar/ar..htm contains dozens of links to Websites devoted to many topics concerning hearing impairment.
· Another excellent Website is maintained by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders of the National Institutes of Health: www.nidcd.nih.gov; on this site you can access a number of interesting demonstrations, including a video that explains how the ear works.
· The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders of the National Institutes of Health has been concerned about the fact that many infants with hearing impairment go undetected even though technology exists to identify such impairments. Information on early screening can be found on their Website: www.nidcd.nih.gov
· Two examples of publications devoted to issues of concern to the Deaf community are the magazines Silent News and Deaf Life. The former also has a Web version (www.silentnew.com/idex.html). On the site, it presents itself as “a good glimpse into the Deaf community.” Deaf Life’s Website at www.deaflife.com has chat rooms for adults and just for children.
· The National Theatre of the Deaf’s Website to look for upcoming performances in your area: www.NTD.org
· The National Association of the Deaf had for years been opposed to cochlear implants. However, in the fall of 2000, it issued a policy statement that was much more neutral in tone; see www.nad.org/ciposition
· The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) has established an excellent Website focused on the documentary “Sound and Fury”: www.pbs.org/wnet/soundandfury . Although the site focuses on the issue of cochlear implants, it also contains useful information pertaining to the Deaf culture and links to other interesting Websites.
· The Internet has several sites with animated finger spelling or American Sign Language dictionaries. An example for finger spelling is: www.pbs.org/wnet/soundandfury/culture/sign_basic.html
· An example for ASL, developed at Michigan State University, is: http://commtechlab.mus.edu/sites/asweb
· Deafcareers magazine (www.deafcareers.com) offers a forum for practitioners and the Deaf community to address career preparedness.
· Children of Deaf Adults (CODA; www.coda-international.org) is an organization devoted to children of adults who are deaf. As stated on the Website, “CODA is an organization established for the purpose of promoting family awareness and individual growth in hearing children of deaf parents. This purpose is accomplished through providing educational opportunities, promoting self-help, organizing advocacy efforts, and acting as a resource for the membership and various communities.” (Hallahan, Kauffman, and Pullen, 2009, p. 344- 371)
Hearing - The capacity to hear, with amplification, is limited, impaired, or absent and results in one or more of the following: reduced performance in hearing acuity tasks; difficulty with oral communication; and/or difficulty in understanding auditorally-presented information in the education environment. The term includes students who are deaf and students who are hard-of –hearing.
http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/links/Deaf.html
Hearing impairment is defined by IDEA as "an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance."
http://www.childpsychologist.com/mod/resource/view.php?id=14
Deafness is defined as "a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification." http://www.childpsychologist.com/mod/resource/view.php?id=14
Causations of disabilities (when known)
· Conductive hearing impairment. A hearing impairment, usually mild, resulting from malfunctioning along the conductive pathway of the ear (i.e., the outer or middle ear).
· Sensorineural hearing impairment. A hearing impairment, usually severe, resulting from malfunctioning of the inner ear.
· Mixed hearing impairment. A hearing impairment resulting from a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing impairments.
· External otitis. An infection of the skin of the external auditory canal; also called swimmer’s ear.
· Otitis media. Inflammation of the middle ear.
· Connexin-26 gene. A gene, the mutation of which causes deafness; the leading cause of congenital deafness in children.
· Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV). The most frequently occurring viral infection in newborns; can result in a variety of disabilities, especially hearing impairment.
(Hallahan, Kauffman, and Pullen, 2009, p. 346- 347)
Characteristics of disabilities
· Sign Language. A manual language used by people who are deaf to communicate; a true language with its own grammar.
· Intellectual Ability. Same as in hearing population.
· Academic Achievement. Most students who are deaf have large deficits in academic achievement. The average student who is hearing impaired leaves school with a deficit of at least five years in reading, and trail hearing peers in math by substantial margins.
· Social Adjustment. A person who is deaf can find problems finding people with whom to converse. Studies have demonstrated that many students who are deaf are at risk for loneliness.
o Deaf Culture.
§ Linguistic differentiation. Deaf communities view themselves as bilingual, with individuals possessing varying degrees of fluency in ASL and English (Ladd, 2003; Padden & Humphries, 2005)
§ Attitudinal deafness. Refers to whether a person thinks of himself or herself as deaf.
§ Behavior norms. A few examples of behavior norms are that people in the deaf community value informality and physical contact in their interactions with one another, often giving each other hugs when greeting and departing.
§ Endogamous marriage. The deaf community tends to frown on “mixed marriages” between people who are deaf and those who are hearing.
o Historical awareness. Awareness of significant people and event pertaining to people who are def permeates the Deaf community. They are often deferential to elders and value their wisdom and knowledge pertaining to Deaf traditions.
· Voluntary organizational networks. Some examples are the National Association of the Deaf, the World Games for the Deaf (Deaf Olympics), and the National Theatre of the Deaf.
o Concern for the Erosion of Deaf Culture.
o Deaf Activism: The Gallaudet Experience. Students advocated for there to be a deaf President.
o Deaf Activism: The Cochlear Implant Debate. A surgical procedure that allows people who are deaf to hear some environmental sounds; an external coil fitted on the skin by the ear picks up sound form a microphone worn by the person and transmits it to an internal coil implanted in the bone of the ear, which carries it to an electrode implanted in the cochlea of the inner ear. Many people in the deaf community oppose this procedure.
o Deaf Activism: The Genetic Engineering Debate.
(Hallahan, Kauffman, and Pullen, 2009, p. 348- 355)
What does a student with (specific disability) need from a teacher (regarding structure and organization, curriculum, expectations, special adaptations, transition, and/or social relationships with peers)?
· Oralism-manualism debate. The controversy over whether the goal of instruction for students who are deaf should be to teach them to speak or to teach them to use sign language.
· Total communication approach. An approach for teaching students with hearing impairments that blends oral and manual techniques.
· Bicultural-bilingual approach. An approach for teaching students with hearing impairments that stresses teaching American Sign Language as a first language and English as a second language and promotes the teaching of the Deaf culture.
· Auditory-verbal approach. Part of the oral approach to teaching students who are hearing impaired; stresses teaching the person to use his or her remaining hearing as much as possible; heavy emphasis on use of amplification; heavy emphasis on teaching speech.
· Auditory-oral approach. An oral approach to teaching students who are hearing impaired; like auditory-verbal approach, stresses use of remaining hearing, amplification, and speech, but also includes use of visual cues.
· Speechreading. A method that involves teaching children to use visual information from a number of sources to understand what is being said to them; more than just lip reading, which uses only visual clues arising from the environment of the mouth in speaking.
· Cued speech. A method to aid speech reading in people with hearing impairment; the speaker uses hand shapes to represent sounds.
· Homophenes. Sounds that are different but that look the same with regard to movements of the face and lips.
· Signing English systems. Used simultaneously with oral methods in the total communication approach to teaching students who are deaf; different from American Sign Language because they maintain the same word order as spoken English.
· Fingerspelling. Spelling the English alphabet by using various finger positions on one hand.
· Text Telephone (TT). A device connected to a telephone be a special adapter; allows communication over the telephone between people who are hearing impaired and those with hearing; sometimes referred to as a TTY (teletype) or TDD (telecommunication device for the deaf).
· Video relay service (VRS). A service, using a sign language interpreter, a video camera or computer, and an Internet connection, that allows persons who are deaf to communicate with those who are hearing.
(Hallahan, Kauffman, and Pullen, 2009, p. 355- 362)
Organizations that support, work for, or advocate for the disability.
National Association of the Deaf
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD), established in 1880, is the oldest and largest constituency organization safeguarding the accessibility and civil rights of 28 million deaf and hard of hearing Americans in education, employment, health care, and telecommunications.
World Federation of the Deaf
WFD is the international non-governmental organization representing Deaf people worldwide. A non-profit organization, WFD works for human rights and equal opportunity for Deaf people everywhere. WFD promotes the right of Deaf people to use sign language to access education, information and all other spheres of life. In this way will Deaf people achieve equality and human rights.
Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf
The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is an international membership organization and resource center on hearing loss and spoken language approaches and related issues.
Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf
It is the mission of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc., to provide international, national, regional, state, and local forums and an organizational structure for the continued growth and development of the professions of interpretation and transliteration of American Sign Language and English.
Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center
The Clerc Center has been mandated by Congress to develop, evaluate, and disseminate innovative curricula, instructional techniques and strategies, and materials. The aim of the Clerc Center is to improve the quality of education for deaf and hard of hearing children and youth from birth through age 21.
Council on Education of the Deaf
Since its inception in 1930, CED has been recognized for maintaining high standards for persons working with deaf and hard of hearing students in the education process. CED is involved in establishing standards and providing teacher certification and evaluating university professional preparation programs based on clearly defined standards and criteria.
American Society for Deaf Children
ASDC is a national organization of families and professionals committed to education, empowering, and supporting parents and families to create opportunities for their children who are deaf and hard of hearing in gaining meaningful and full communication access, particularly through the competent use of sign language, in their homes, schools, and communities.
American Sign Language Teachers Association
The American Sign Language Teachers Association - ASLTA - is the only national organization dedicated to the improvement and expansion of the teaching of ASL and Deaf Studies at all levels of instruction. ASLTA is an individual membership organization of more than 1,000 ASL and Deaf Studies educators from elementary through graduate education as well as agencies.
National Theatre of the Deaf
Through its thirty-four year history, The National Theatre of the Deaf stands as testimony to the artistry and capability of its Actors. There have been 64 national tours, performances in all 50 states, all the continents, 31 international tours and over 8,000 performances earning NTD its place in theatrical history as the oldest continually-producing touring theatre company in the United States.
The Rhythm Channel Foundation for Deaf Musicians, Inc.
The Rhythm Channel Foundation for Deaf Musicians, Inc. (RCFDM) has recognized that the hearing impaired are in need of a pro-active effort to keep music alive and in-tune with how the deaf "hear" music. RCFDM is taking a stand within the music industry to encourage labels to return to the printing of lyrics in artist releases and encouraging music video producers and networks to include closed captioning as a supplemental tool for the hearing impaired to have their music world enhanced to the greatest degree for enjoyment.
American Deafness and Rehabilitation Association (ADARA): Professionals Networking for Excellence in Service Delivery to Individuals Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Our mission is to facilitate excellence in human service delivery with individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. This mission is accomplished by enhancing the professional competencies of the membership, expanding opportunities for networking among ADARA colleagues and supporting positive public policies for individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. In achieving the mission, ADARA members are committed to: full access for members to all aspects of the organization's business, including Board matters, conference planning, presentations and journal publications, recognizing and affirming the ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity of the membership, and fostering an inclusive language community through the use of American Sign Language, signed communication, and other communication strategies used by all members at ADARA events in order to strive for barrier-free communication.
International Center on Deafness and the Arts
This is a website for programs in the area of the arts that are offered to deaf and hard of hearing children in the local Chicago area. Our most famous graduate is Marlee Matlin!
Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Losses
The Association of Medical Professionals With Hearing Losses, abbreviated as "AMPHL", provides information, promotes advocacy and mentorship, and creates a network for individuals with hearing losses interested in or working in health care fields.
Deafness-Related Health Care Organizations
Issues about general health care topics, mental health, and chemical dependency
Diversity within Deaf Culture
Resources about Deaf special interest groups - women, gay, lesbian, black, Asian, Latino, Hispanic, Native American, hard of hearing, & CODA
http://www.deaflinx.com/Professional/org.html
Long term implications of the disability on adolescents and adults
Unemployment and underemployment (being overqualified for a job) have been persistent problems for persons with hearing impairment, especially women (Punch, Hyde, & Creed, 2004; Schirmer, 2001). The reasons why those who are hearing impaired have a more difficult time finding appropriate and satisfying employment have a lot to do with a poor understanding on the part of the hearing population of what it means to have a hearing impairment and what accommodations they can make in the workplace (Punch, Hyde, & Creed, 2006). Likewise, people with hearing impairments, themselves, often aren’t prepared to ask for the right accommodations and have difficulties making good career choices (Punch et al., 2004) (Hallahan, Kauffman, and Pullen, 2009, p. 369)
Current trends
Even though most authorities would agree that having a sign language interpreter in one of the best accommodations, it’s important to keep in mind that this is a far cry from leveling the academic playing field for students with hearing impairments. When hearing students and students who are deaf hear and see (through interpretation) the same lecture, the students who are deaf don’t learn as much of the material (Marschark, Pelz, et al., 2005; Marschark, Sapere, Convertino, & Seewagen, 2005; Marschark, Sapere, Convertino, Seewagen, & Maltzen, 2004) (Hallahan, Kauffman, and Pullen, 2009, p. 370)
Annotated bibliography of at least 6 resources
(websites, booklist, articles) for each disability area
· Information on the anatomy of the ear, including drawings, can be found at a Website called Virtual Tour of the Ear: www.augie.edu/perry/ear/hearmech.htm
· The Virtual Tour of the Ear home page at http://ctl.augie.edu/perry/ar/ar..htm contains dozens of links to Websites devoted to many topics concerning hearing impairment.
· Another excellent Website is maintained by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders of the National Institutes of Health: www.nidcd.nih.gov; on this site you can access a number of interesting demonstrations, including a video that explains how the ear works.
· The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders of the National Institutes of Health has been concerned about the fact that many infants with hearing impairment go undetected even though technology exists to identify such impairments. Information on early screening can be found on their Website: www.nidcd.nih.gov
· Two examples of publications devoted to issues of concern to the Deaf community are the magazines Silent News and Deaf Life. The former also has a Web version (www.silentnew.com/idex.html). On the site, it presents itself as “a good glimpse into the Deaf community.” Deaf Life’s Website at www.deaflife.com has chat rooms for adults and just for children.
· The National Theatre of the Deaf’s Website to look for upcoming performances in your area: www.NTD.org
· The National Association of the Deaf had for years been opposed to cochlear implants. However, in the fall of 2000, it issued a policy statement that was much more neutral in tone; see www.nad.org/ciposition
· The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) has established an excellent Website focused on the documentary “Sound and Fury”: www.pbs.org/wnet/soundandfury . Although the site focuses on the issue of cochlear implants, it also contains useful information pertaining to the Deaf culture and links to other interesting Websites.
· The Internet has several sites with animated finger spelling or American Sign Language dictionaries. An example for finger spelling is: www.pbs.org/wnet/soundandfury/culture/sign_basic.html
· An example for ASL, developed at Michigan State University, is: http://commtechlab.mus.edu/sites/asweb
· Deafcareers magazine (www.deafcareers.com) offers a forum for practitioners and the Deaf community to address career preparedness.
· Children of Deaf Adults (CODA; www.coda-international.org) is an organization devoted to children of adults who are deaf. As stated on the Website, “CODA is an organization established for the purpose of promoting family awareness and individual growth in hearing children of deaf parents. This purpose is accomplished through providing educational opportunities, promoting self-help, organizing advocacy efforts, and acting as a resource for the membership and various communities.” (Hallahan, Kauffman, and Pullen, 2009, p. 344- 371)