Help For The Hearing Impaired

There is finally help for the hearing impaired. With so many recent advances in technology, hearing impairment has become less embarrassing for people who need hearing aids, or for those with late-onset deafness. Improvements in hearing aids, surgical techniques, and cochlear implants has brought more help for the hearing impaired than ever before.

ADA Brings Help for the Hearing Impaired

The Americans with Disabilities Act has also brought with it help for the hearing impaired. Deafness is considered a "disability" under this act. The hearing impaired now have rights that were denied by many in the past.

Now, it is illegal for employers, government agencies, and other businesses to discriminate against those who are deaf or hard of hearing. In fact, with few exceptions, they must provide assistance to deaf people upon request. If a deaf person wants to participate in a public event, for example, reasonable accommodations must be made for that person to be able to communicate with the hearing community.

A popular source of communications help is sign language interpreters. These are people who facilitate communication between the deaf and the hearing. They bridge the gap between sign language and spoken English, and are invaluable at fostering relationships between the deaf and the hearing.