Deaf Understanding - Facts About Deafness

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According to the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) more than 112,000 people worldwide have received cochlear implants. In the United States, roughly 23,000 adults and 15,500 children have received them.

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Deaf Understanding

Facts About Deafness
Posted on Tuesday, May 10 @ 01:04:51 PDT
Topic: Deafness

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's National Health Interview Survey for 2004 found that "overall, 16% of the adult population in the United States experienced some hearing difficulty without a hearing aid (defined as "a little trouble," "alot of trouble," or "deaf"). Men were more likely to experience hearing trouble (19.3%) than were women (13.6%)."

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) approximates that 17 percent (36 million) Americans report some degree of hearing loss.

According to 2005 estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), 278 million people worldwide have moderate to profound hearing loss in both ears.

Worldwide, more than 112,000 people have cochlear implants. In the U.S., some 23,000 adults and 15,500 children and youth have been implanted.

93 percent of deaf children are born into hearing families; only 7 percent are born into deaf families.

Approximately 2-3 of every 1,000 infants are born deaf or hard-of-hearing.

20 to 30 percent of hearing loss in children occurs during infancy or early childhood.

The average age of identification of hearing loss in infants is two and one-half to three years of age, well past the critical period for speech and language development.

Educational performance of students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing remains poor. The average reading comprehension of 18-year-old students was reported at just below 4th grade on the SAT-9 (Traxler, 2000 - Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 5, 337-348).

72 percent of families with children who use sign language do not use sign language with their children (Gallaudet Research Institute, 2002); for these children, the interpreter may be the only person with whom they can communicate effectively.

American Sign Language is the third most widely used language in the United States.

Only 30 percent of all spoken sounds are visible on the lips. (No wonder lip-reading is a challenge!)

According to the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), deaf and hard of hearing people prefer to be called "deaf" or "hard of hearing".

The term "hearing-impaired", though considered by hearing people to be politically correct, is actually offensive to the deaf or hard of hearing individual. Why? According to the NAD, "the label focuses on what they can't do. With this label, a standard has been set: the 'hearing' standard. To be anything other than 'hearing' is not acceptable to the mainstream society, and deaf and hard of hearing people have failed to meet the 'standard' . . . Deaf and hard of hearing people believe that there is nothing wrong with them and that their culture, language, and community are just as fulfilling as those experienced by the mainstream society." To read this article in its entirety, go to the NAD Web site

Comparing the fall 1998 and 2002 foreign language enrollments in United States Institutions of higher education, American Sign Language ranked fifth. In 1998, there were 11,420 enrolling in American Sign Language courses. In 2002, that number rose to 60,781. ASL's increase of 432.2% is more than four times that of any other language! -- The Modern Language Association

According to the Center for Disease Control and the Rochester Prevention Research Center: Adults deaf since childhood report poorer health, have less access to mental health services, and are less likely to see a doctor than are adults in the general U.S. population. Few health researchers are deaf, know American Sign Language (ASL), or partner with deaf ASL-users.