Lenoir-Rhyne DHH Services

Alexander Graham Bell was originally an instructor for deaf children. He stumbled across his telephone invention while trying to make a hearing aid for his wife and some of his deaf pupils.

Beethoven began losing his hearing when he was 28 years old. By the time he was 49 he could no longer hear. When Beethoven composed his ninth symphony, he was profoundly deaf.

Only about 30% of speech is produced on the lips. Most words are unidentifiable on the lips and many different sounds look the same on the lips. This means that a person who lip-reads must depend on cues from the topics being discussed and from the environment. Single words, names, or discussions without supporting information can be difficult.