Deaf Community Defined: Diverse entity DemographicAudiological LinguisticPolitical Social dimensionsInternational NationalRegional Local Share and work together to achieve common goals.

Deaf Community deaf children of hearing parents deaf children of Deaf parents hearing people who participate as parents of deaf children marriage or life partners siblings extended family members coworkers of the deaf hard of hearing oral deaf

Big “D” Big D" Deaf people identify themselves as culturally deaf, and have a strong deaf identity.

Little “d” the "small d" deaf do not associate with other members of the deaf community, strive to identify themselves with hearing people, and regard their hearing loss solely in medical terms.

Deaf Culture Persons within the deaf community that uses: ASL Share beliefs Values Customs Experience These persons are not only descents of Deaf parents, but deaf persons with hearing family backgrounds that learn Deaf culture as adolescence or adulthood.

Medical/Disability Model Medical Complications earwax build up infections earaches tumors

Ear Wax build up

Pus behind the TMP Swollen TMP Ear Infection

Normal Anatomy of the Ear

Metastatic growth Ear Tumor

There are basically two types of deafness. One is caused by problems with the sound reaching the inner ear. Since the sound travels there via conduction, this is called conductive hearing loss. It's the far less common mechanism of hearing loss.

Much more common is sensor neural hearing losssensor neural hearing loss. This is often called nerve deafness, but this is a misnomer, because the auditory nerve is almost never the cause. The problem is usually in the hair cells of the cochlea. One of the most devastating and mysterious forms of sensor neural hearing loss is sudden hearing loss or sudden deafness!sudden hearing loss or sudden deafness

What causes sensor neural hearing loss? many of which we can't do much about Noise is the enemy of hearing, and people are discovering that it doesn't take as much noise as previously thought to cause temporary or permanent hearing loss.

Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) Environmental noise as a cause of hearing loss Hearing loss and the military Music as a cause of hearing loss Recreational activities as a cause of hearing loss Toys as a cause of hearing loss Special noise considerations for kids Protecting yourself from noise induced hearing lossProtecting yourself from noise induced hearing loss Work and noise induced hearing loss

How loud is too loud? Here's an example to help you make sense of this. The CDC page says that a chain saw produces noise of intensity 110 db. The OSHA page says that the maximum exposure time for 110 db is half an hour. So the conclusion is that if you operate a chain saw without hearing protection for longer than a half an hour, you are putting your hearing at risk.

Sociolinguistic/Cultural Model Deaf persons function into the deaf community based on: Etiology Type and degree of hearing loss Age of onset For a deaf person who is deaf, it relates to one’s identity as well as a “whole person.” This involves shared experiences, language culture, attitudes, social obligations, quality of life issues, as well as coping mechanisms in daily life.

Belief System Professionals overlook visual orientation and potential for language learning in deaf children. Main focus is on auditory process and strategies. i.e., amplification, implants, auditory training Psycholinguists acknowledge language acquisition is dual-channel activity involving both auditory and visual process. Earlier a deaf child is exposed to sign language, the better for cognitive and linguistic development.