The Deaf Community has faced a great deal of historical oppression from hearing people that still resonates throughout the Community today. Recent literature has acknowledged the disconnect between the Deaf and hearing worlds, particularly in healthcare and education settings. Likewise, there have been many advocacy and service projects and programs to try to improve these situations. However, much of the existing literature and projects have failed to include input from Deaf Community members. As such, hearing perspectives dominate the lives of Deaf individuals. This study examines how the dominant biomedical perspective of deafness affects Deaf individuals’ ability to receive adequate healthcare. Using standard ethnographic methods, including in-depth, open-ended interviews, and immersion in the research population through ongoing participant observation at a Deaf agency and Deaf Community events, this study highlights the perspectives of Deaf Community members themselves. The findings confirm previous studies’ assertions that the dominant biomedical perspective toward deafness negatively affects Deaf people overall, particularly because of communication obstacles and a lack of understanding about Deaf Culture, specifically in the realm of access to biomedical care. This has never been more worrisome for Deaf people in America than in the current unstable political climate that now threatens access to subsidized healthcare, disability services, and legally protected accommodations.

abstract: Historically, music and the experiences of deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) individuals have been intertwined in one manner or another. However, music has never ignited as much hope for the “improvement” of the Deaf experience as during the American oralist movement (ca. 1880-1960) which prioritized lip-reading and speaking over the use of sign language. While it is acknowledged that the oralist movement failed to provide the best possible education to many American DHH students and devastated many within the Deaf community, music scholars have continued to cite publications by oralist educators as rationales for the continued development of music programs for DHH students. This document is an attempt to reframe the role of music during the American oralist movement with a historical account of ways music was recruited as a tool for teaching vocal articulation at schools for the deaf from 1900 to 1960. During this time period, music was recruited simply as a utility to overcome disability and as an aid for assimilating into the hearing world rather than as the rich experiential phenomenon it could have been for the DHH community. My goal is to add this important caveat to the received history of early institutional music education for DHH students. Primary sources include articles published between 1900 and 1956 in The Volta Review, a journal founded by the oralist leader Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922). / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Music 2017

Thesis (Masters Diploma (Electrical Engineering) -- Cape Technikon, Cape Town,1991 / Communication in all its various forms, has always played an important role in both the business and social environments. The conventional telephone, taken more often than not for granted, is responsible for keeping over five million people in South Africa alone, in daily contact. For the deaf and mute society, of which their are approximately 300 000 in South Africa, the telephone, on its own, has remained a useless gadget. Without the aid of a personal computer or terminal and a modem, communication for the deaf via the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) has been impossible. Use of computers may be one way of overcoming this obvious problem, but expense now becomes the more important issue. To analyse the situation, two issues had to be taken into consideration. The first is, what makes the above solution so expensive, and the secondly, is thi!t expensive equipment necessary to complete the relatively simple task of interactive communication. The technology built into todays personal computers is continuously changing and in order to keep up with these changes, regular upgrades to the computer are necessary if one intends being able to recover ones investment at a later stage. The cost of a modem, with its sophisticated error-eorrection routines and auto-dial software, can also increase the initial outlay considerably. Bearing these costs in mind, it must now be investigated how one can achieve the objective of communicating with only the bear essential. By replacing the PC's monitor with a Liquid Crystal Display, the powerful processor with a relatively simple one, eliminating the disk storage entirely, reducing the on-board ROM!RAM memory, and finally, substituting a single-chip low speed modem for the free standing modem, the cost can be drastically reduced. By combining all these components together and developing a program to control them, the result is the 'Voiceless Telephone".

Little is known about the deaf as a group. Most of the studies that have been done concerning their problem have been about the medical, educational and psychological aspects of their disability with very little emphasis on their vocational and social problems and needs. The study began from two basic hypotheses: first, that there is a correlation between deafness and unemployment status, with a disproportionate number of the deaf being found in low status, low paying jobs, and secondly, that the deaf in British Columbia at the present time, are receiving a limited amount of services. The particular focus of the study was the problems and experience of a sample of young deaf adolescents and adults in training for, finding and holding jobs. The sample group chosen was the total group of graduates and school leavers from the Jericho Hill School for the Deaf, Vancouver, British Columbia, a residential School which takes pupils from all socio-economic levels, including day pupils, for the period July 1956-July 1965. A schedule of research questions was devised which included investigation of the following areas: (1) what vocational assessment, counselling and placement services were available to and utilized by the sample group (2) what jobs they obtained and how they obtained them (3) what their attitudes were to their jobs and fellow workers (4) what job aspirations they had and whether they attained them (5) what opinions they had about the kinds of help they needed (6) what their intelligence quotients were, as a crude index of their capabilities to cope with further training and education. A research design of a diagnostic descriptive type was next devised, which comprised a number of steps, including (1) the interviewing of experts in the field (2) the devising of a questionnaire to be sent to the school graduates (3) the interviewing of a sample of respondents willing to be interviewed (4) the relation of the insights and information obtained, to the determining of what services should be recommended in order to provide more adequate services for the deaf. Of the total group of 78 school leavers, 38 responded to the questionnaire of whom 14 were interviewed. Twenty-two of the 38 respondents were employed. The major findings of the study were that; the employed deaf in the sample group who have received no further education or training are working in low paid, low status jobs, regardless of the level of their intelligence or desires for further training. This is one-half of the total sample group. Of those who obtained vocational training including on-the-job training, it would be true to say that this did improve their economic status. However there is a tendency for this group to be frozen in bottom level positions with few prospects of advancements. Of the small group proceeding to advanced education at Gallaudet College, it is as yet too soon to say what their vocational prospects will be. An additional finding was that most job placement was done by families, friends and Jericho Hill School, with very little by community agencies. A lack of spacific services indispensable to the deaf, was found, particularly in relation to use of interpreters. A further finding was the "orality" of deaf people in the sample interviewed as defined by ability to use speech in everyday living at a level intelligible to strangers, was far below this standard, with one exception. An additional finding was that the inability to achieve a satisfactory level of orality appears to be related to feelings of failure and inferiority in the deaf and to interfere to some extent with the deaf person's concentration on the acquisition of written skills. There was considerable evidence that social and recreational activities play a specially important role in the lives of deaf people, and may even determine the location of the jobs they seek. As many are unable to enjoy an outlet for their frustrations and tensions by communicating orally with their fellow workers, it is important to them to be with other deaf people for some of their recreation, because with such a group they are released from the constant strain of lip reading or writing everything down. In contrast to the findings of two American studies, there was little, if any correlation found between such factors as type of job obtained and lip reading ability and preferred methods of communication used at work. Nor was there any correlation between these factors and income obtained, job stability and attitudes to the job and to fellow workers. Total or partial deafness, day or residential status did not appear to affect any of the factors mentioned either positively or negatively. This may have been due to the size of the sample group and two other factors, first, that almost all the group became deaf before the age when speech patterns are normally acquired, or were born deaf. Secondly, the sample contained no respondents in the managerial, technical or professional classes, and few in the craftsman class. A number of specific recommendations were made. Some of these pertained to the establishment of the necessary services, especially those of assessment, counselling, placement and follow-up services. Some pertained to an expansion of the roles of government and private agencies, and some pertained to educational practices in the field of education for the deaf. Special emphasis was placed on the improving of ways of determining much earlier in the education of the deaf child than is currently the practice the level of orality he is likely to reach, so that vocational and educational plans for him can be adapted to his needs. A further recommendation was that it is important to include in the educational programmes for parents of deaf children, opportunities to meet with the adult deaf. In the area of prevention, routine use of hearing tests for the newborn was emphasized. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

The development and current state of the historical perspective of American Deaf women is outlined in the report. Initially this paper reviews the historical study of people with disabilities and for the American Deaf. This paper concludes with a review of the small but significant selections of historical scholarship related directly to American Deaf women along with recommendations to preserve the rich and colorful Deaf-oriented heritage; especially of the women. / text

Hearing loss is a low-incidence disability, affecting 1 to 6 per 1,000 live births. Until recently, hearing loss was not diagnosed until 2 years of age or later. In the late 1990s, a push began for Universal Newborn Hearing Screening: the ultimate goal was that every newborn's hearing would be tested before leaving the hospital.Prior to widespread implementation of UNHS, some researchers found that hearing parents of deaf children had higher stress and atypical parent-infant interactions. More recent research, focused on parents of infants diagnosed through UNHS, is inconsistent. Some researchers have found that parents of deaf and hard-of-hearing (d/hh) children have significantly more stress than parents of hearing infants; however, some researchers have not found these differences.Because increased stress is linked to impaired parent-infant bonding, researchers have made conclusions about bonding based on assessments of stress. The purpose of the current study was to compare the bonding of hearing mothers to d/hh infants to hearing mothers of hearing infants. A second aspect was to assess the needs of mothers of d/hh infants and to evaluate, from mothers' perspectives, how early-intervention services could be improved.Results from the current study show that mothers of d/hh infants were not bonding abnormally. In addition, the bonding of hearing mothers to d/hh infants is not significantly different from the bonding of hearing mothers to hearing infants. On the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ), mothers of hearing infants were significantly more likely to feel as if their babies cried too much. Interview results show that all mothers were worried about their children's future; however, mothers of d/hh babies had more specific worries, including those related to communication development. In addition, mothers discussed their experiences with early intervention and their valued qualities in an early-intervention provider.

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No description available.

It is known that the educational and social development of all children and young people are affected by the quality of communication within the family and by participation in social life and in activities outwith school. Although deaf children tend to under-achieve educationally and to experience marginalisation within mainstream groups, relatively little research has been located within family and out-of-school domains. This thesis interrogates data which were collected as part of a national questionnaire-based survey of parents of deaf children in Scotland. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of responses to closed and open questions illuminate parental perspectives on the extent to which deafness-related issues influenced: the quality of communication between their deaf children and family members; levels of friendships with both deaf and hearing peers; the amount and nature of their children’s participation in cultural and structured social activities; and parental facilitation of their adolescent deaf children’s independence. Although the majority of respondents indicated no, or minimal, disadvantages, a sizeable minority reported specific linguistic and social barriers which influenced key relationships and, in the case of activities, precipitated marginalising experiences. Whilst some clear patterns are revealed, such as a correlation with level of hearing loss and, in terms of parent/child quality of communication, with the hearing status of parents, there was a persistent level of unexplained diversity among those experiencing linguistic barriers. Limitations to the data restrict the generalisability of findings, although these have import in themselves. In addition, new knowledge is derived from the application of symbolic capital as a heuristic lens. Evidence of the diversity of family communication and ‘visitorship’ experiences are viewed in the context of linguistic access strategy choices emanating from the complexity of each deaf child’s habitus. Indications of differences between children of deaf and hearing parents, in terms of the balance of linguistic benefits and disadvantages, are considered in the context of social and cultural capital which is accumulated through access to alternative deaf and hearing networks. It is posited that, in order for deaf children to be enabled to realise their highly individual linguistic potential, and to optimise their accumulation of cultural and social capital, there is a need to address the imbalance within the linguistic spectrum of assessments and resources provided by specialist educational services. It is further argued that this should be within the context of a positive conceptualisation of deafness, and a holistic approach to assessment and service provision.

A thesis submitted to the Wits School of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, 2017 / Background: With 17 babies born with hearing loss every day in South Africa, there is a pressing need for systematic Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) services. Progress is being made in the area of newborn hearing screening with studies to document the screening fora and processes appropriate for a developing country context. A systematic review of EHDI services in South Africa highlighted the need for comprehensive studies on diagnostic protocols and procedures in diagnosing paediatric hearing loss. There has also been a recognition of the ethical obligation to ensure equitable access to efficient and timely diagnostic and intervention services for children identified with hearing loss, regardless of their geographic or socioeconomic status. Objective: The aim of this study was to document the current practice of audiologists in South Africa, with reference to paediatric audiology diagnosis, reporting of testing results, record keeping and data management in a closed sample set in 3 provinces of SA. Method: This study utilised a retrospective record review process as well as a survey to identify the processes and procedures followed by audiologists in the diagnosis of paediatric hearing loss, across both the public and private sectors. The children who were part of the Home Intervention Hearing and language Opportunities Parent Education Services (HI HOPES) programme were selected using convenience sampling. The files of 230 children, who had diagnostic audiology records as part of the HI HOPES programme data were included as part of the sample for this study. Audiology reports and records were reviewed so as to gain an understanding of the diagnostic procedures used. Data were then compared to the HPCSA recommended guideline document to determine how diagnostic testing compared to testing procedures outlined in the guideline document. Finally, a survey to identify data management procedures followed by audiologists was sent to 40 public (n=21) and private (n=19) sector audiologists Results: Data reflected in diagnostic audiology reports indicate differences in tests employed with paediatric clients across the regions of Gauteng, Kwazulu Natal and Western Cape, as well as across the public and private sectors. There is an increased use of electrophysiology measures across all the age ranges of paediatric clients. The extensive use of electrophysiology on older children means there is an increased need for the use of sedation. The analysis of sedation information included in the diagnostic audiology reports indicated a need for evaluation of safety during sedation for diagnostic testing, as well as a need for development of sedation guidelines for auditory electrophysiology testing in South Africa. The logging of diagnostic audiology data as well as sedation information in audiology reports also indicated that data is not always comprehensive. The survey showed that there is a need for efficient audiology data management and tracking systems to allow for evaluation of EHDI services, and for sharing of diagnostic information amongst professionals. Challenges with the implementation of online/electronic data management systems include those that are common to a developed world context (time and staff for data entry), as well as challenges unique to a developing country context (electricity access and internet connection). Conclusion: Accuracy in paediatric diagnostic audiology is important as this step in the EHDI pathway is necessary for appropriate provision of amplification, communication methodology options and the influence on future education options and success. Paediatric diagnostic audiology in South Africa shows a lack of agreement with South African diagnostic guidelines in terms of tests employed, across the provinces of Gauteng, KZN and WC as well as across the public and private healthcare sectors. The incomplete sedation information on audiology reports indicates the deficiencies in accurate and comprehensive data recording. . Extensive studies across all provinces relating to all aspects of EHDI services (screening, diagnosis, intervention and data management) are necessary. Further studies on diagnostic practice and resources in South Africa will provide information on factors that are preventing adherence to South African guidelines as well as international best practice guidelines for paediatric diagnostic audiology, as well as information and resources that are needed for advancement and improvement of the field. / XL2018