Audiology Outside the Box PLLC

There are many misunderstandings about what deaf and hard of hearing people are required to tell others about our deafness and hearing levels. If you live in the United States, you do not have to discuss your deafness or hearing levels with your current or potential employer or school -- if that employer or school is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you are not comfortable disclosing this information, you can decide not to -- or to share only limited parts that you choose. However, you will need to disclose if you want to receive accommodations under the ADA and other disability laws. For more information about this, read: https://www.eeoc.gov/publications/ada-your-employment-rights-individual-disability.

Even if you decide to disclose your deafness or hearing levels to receive accommodations, you are not required to discuss this topic beyond the process of arranging those accommodations. Many deaf and hard of hearing people do find it helpful when coworkers and classmates know about their language and communication needs, so you might find that you *want* to discuss this topic with coworkers, classmates, etc. In my experience, this can be helpful for preventing problems such as people assuming that I'm rude when I don't respond to their hellos and goodbyes in the hallway. But ultimately, it's up to you! A future post will address tips for disclosing deafness in the workplace and at school.

Educational audiology services are an important part of the school experience for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children. But sadly, many parents are never told about these services. Curious about what educational audiologists do? Read on!

Educational audiologists have the same doctoral-level education and credentials as clinical audiologists, but educational audiologists work in schools. A clinical audiologist might see a child only once or twice a year, but an educational audiologist may see some children much more often. In addition to my work at Audiology Outside the Box, I am a full time educational audiologist in a large public school district. I see some of my students as often as once per week!

What services do educational audiologists provide?

- We recommend environmental changes for classrooms to improve access for DHH students.

- We evaluate students for assistive listening devices for use in the classroom and other school settings and fit that equipment according to the needs of the individual child.

- We check hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other devices to ensure they are functioning appropriately, and we educate teachers, school personnel, and DHH students themselves about how to use and care for their devices.

- We teach age-appropriate self-advocacy skills related to communication and language.

- We educate teachers about the individual communication needs of DHH students.

- We provide hearing tests for DHH students who need comprehensive evaluations and for students with suspected hearing concerns.

- We provide hearing screenings to identify the need for further testing in students who might not have a suspected hearing concern. At some point, all children regardless of hearing level may encounter an audiologist at school!

- We write the hearing- and communication-related sections of IEPs and 504 Plans.

- We monitor hearing and middle ear function for students who have temporary hearing concerns due to ear infections and tubes in their ears.

- We provide aural (re)habilitation therapy services for DHH students.

What questions do you have about educational audiology? Ask below!

Ever encountered the term "assistive listening device" or "ALD"? This week, both Audiology Outside the Box posts will discuss ALDs. Today's post will describe some of their benefits, and Wednesday's post will describe limitations.

What is an ALD, anyway? Hearing aids and cochlear implants provide access to sound, but hearing with these devices may still be challenging in noisy situations and from a distance. That's where ALDs come in! ALDs are different from hearing aids and cochlear implants. They support the listener in hearing and understanding the message in these challenging environments. ALDs reduce the impact of background noise and distance on the listener by bringing the sound closer.

How do they work? A transmitter is placed at the sound source. For example, a person who is talking to a large group might wear a microphone around their neck. That microphone is the transmitter. The transmitter sends the sound signal to receivers that the listener wears. Receivers might be attached to the listener's hearing aids or cochlear implants, worn as neckloops, or worn on the ear without hearing aids or cochlear implants. Sometimes, they look like tiny blocks. Some newer receivers are digitally uploaded! In all of these cases, sound streams directly to the listener even if the talker is several feet away.

What are the benefits of ALDs?

1) ALDs reduce the impact of background noise on the listener's access to the sound.

2) ALDs reduce the impact of distance between the listener and the sound.

3) ALDs reduce the impact of reverberation (sound bouncing off surfaces) and echo for the listener.

4) Personal ALDs allow the listener to hear the sound more loudly without others in the environment also experiencing increased loudness.

5) Some ALDs can be accessed by multiple people within the same room at the same time: one transmitter paired to several receivers.

6) Some ALDs can be used as stand alone devices without hearing aids or cochlear implants. Hearing people can use ALDs too!

Do you have questions about ALDs? Leave them below! Check back this Wednesday for a follow-up post on ALD limitations.