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Here you'll find advice from parents and teachers on special needs education.

Original poster

"deaf"or "hearing impaired"

58 replies

smartiejake · 18/06/2008 15:17

A colleague of mine was on a TA course the other day and was told off for using the term "deaf" to describe one of our pupils.
Not PC apparently. Not allowed to say blind either, that has to be sight impaired.

Funny thing is ALL of my deaf pupils refer to themselves as deaf and all the deaf adults I know also do not like the term hearing impaired.

Who are these do gooders who think they have the right to use a term that the people who they are referring to do not like?

Or am I mistaken in thinking this?

WHat do you lot with hearing difficulties or dcs with hearing difficulties prefer?

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mam3 · 11/03/2009 15:20

my son is deaf - we've been enjoying www.signedstories.com i'm over the moon all my kids can enjoy childrens stories together finally. (Voices and BSL are on there!)

Original poster
smartiejake · 30/11/2008 12:40

Hi cthea- not sure if this is a thread that you watch but just wondered if your dd has had her op yet? I remembered you said it was the end of November. Hope it all went well.

My lad (pupil) is doing very well. He was only switched on two wekks ago.

Had a tear in my eye last week supporting him in assembly (signing). The bell went for break and it's not that loud in the hall. His face lit up and he signed "I heard the bell" He had never responded to the school bell before even when he was standing right underneath. He only has nine channels on at the moment but will be up to the full 22 by Christmas.

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cthea · 29/09/2008 19:45

Thanks, smartiejake. DS's switch on was less than spectacular, but his hearing nowadays is fantastic. Please, someone, tell him he's inherited my singing voice Good luck to 'your' little boy too. (As you can see I've now got a shortened username.)

Original poster
smartiejake · 29/09/2008 19:42

The profoundly deaf pupil I told you about (the one who has both a sister and a father with CIs) is having his implant operation on Thursday. He is so excited about it. (SO are we!) Hoping that his parents will let me witness the switch on in a few weeks time.

Keeping my fingers crossed for you Cristina!

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CristinaTheAstonishing · 28/09/2008 20:37

No news yet. Her last assessment is for speech & language next Friday, then we should hear when her CI operation will be. She turned 1 on Thursday.

fatboythin · 28/09/2008 20:26

I'm profoundly deaf and am happy to be referred to as 'deaf'. After all, I can't hear, can I? 'Hearing impaired' seems to be a derogatory term to me as it implies I'm an impaired person which I'm not.

smartiejakethepeg · 19/09/2008 19:44

Any news cristina?

madmax1961 · 19/09/2008 15:31

My daughter has moderate hearing loss in both ears and wears hearing aids. I always say she is Hearing Impaired rather than deaf cos she is not deaf. People think of deaf as not being able to hear anything at all.

Original poster
smartiejake · 18/09/2008 20:06

Bumping for cristina

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Original poster
smartiejake · 18/09/2008 09:33

Hey cristina- any news on your dds implant yet?

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ReallyTired · 02/09/2008 21:45

"hearing impaired" as a term is so vague as to be useless. It can cover anything from a child with glue in one ear to a child is profoundly deaf. I don't see how it helps to have such a range of hearing impairment lumped together.

A child with mild glue ear needs little more than a sympathetic teacher in a mainstream class. A child who is profoundly deaf may need a special school and teaching in BSL.

The main thing is that children get the appriopate level of help to enable them to live life the full.

loudmouthmum · 22/08/2008 10:51

My daughter os on paper 'hearing impaired', but she (and I) tend to say she is partially deaf. We are lucky that she had VERY good speech therapy, and now speaks almost perfectly.

Original poster
smartiejake · 22/07/2008 21:51

Well said unfit mum!

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unfitmother · 22/07/2008 19:41

If your colleague wants to out-PC them she should say that it's up to the service user how they wish to be described.

unfitmother · 22/07/2008 18:31

I have moderate hearing loss and cannot function in the real world without both hearing aids.
I would describe myself as hearing impaired, as a preference, to most people as I have some hearing but deaf as a quick explanation.
Never Deaf though!

lottiejenkins · 22/07/2008 18:20

Have to say i started a near riot on Parent Place by saying i thought being deaf meant you are disabled... i got fairly savaged for that but i stand by what i said!

lottiejenkins · 22/07/2008 18:15

My son just knows he's deaf..... i have always said profoundly deaf... have never used hearing impaired.

Original poster
smartiejake · 21/07/2008 23:09

Lottie-What do you or your ds feel about the term Hearing impaired?

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lottiejenkins · 21/07/2008 08:49

I say that my son is deaf.... he is profoundly deaf.

Doodle2U · 07/07/2008 23:27

My DD is deaf in one ear - I say "she is deaf in one ear". She says she "is deafed in one ear"!

notcitrus · 07/07/2008 23:19

I've ended up calling myself deaf - because if you say you're hard-of-hearing or hearing-impaired, people assume they just need to speak louder and with your hearing aids you'll understand just fine.

Whereas if I say I'm deaf, they at least consider getting my attention before speaking to me, facing me so I can lipread, communication by means other than phone, etc.
Which is all very useful - I can usually manage with just the aids, but it's hard work and tiring. About 7 years ago I decided to only watch TV with subtitles, go to captioned theatre where possible, and only use phones when email etc weren't feasible. Result: found I needed an hour less sleep a night and stopped being depressed!

It's taken my parents though 20 years to accept the fact that I both wear hearing aids and still can't hear that much. Some people (usually random strangers) say if you have some hearing you aren't deaf - but I think the question should be "do you have useful hearing?" And my answer is 'it depends - often no.' Most foreign accents are a nightmare for me and when I'm tired my ability to decode speech plummets.

A friend is a nursery nurse in a hearing-impaired unit - loads of the kids are really too deaf to benefit from it, but the parents refuse to 'give up' on the child and admit they are deaf and need more help, and often it's taken years to get the child as far as the HI unit rather than unsupported mainstream, because the parents are in denial. If calling a child hearing-impaired rather than deaf to the parents means the child gets support, then just go along with it!

CristinaTheAstonishing · 26/06/2008 21:32

Thank you for taking the time to write such reassuring words, SJ. Really appreciated.

Original poster
smartiejake · 26/06/2008 21:24

Again I do know of dcs who have nothing from aids but are doing well with implants.

One of my pupil's little sister got absolutely nothing from even the most powerful digi aids, no response at all, no vocalisation. SHe had a CI a year ago (she's now 3)and is doing really well. WHen I saw her a few weeks ago she told me her name. It was the first time i had ever heard her speak.Her father has also had one fitted as the small amount of hearing he had in one ear disappeared and he loves it. His son (already profoundly deaf) has also lost what little he had left and has this week had the go ahead for his implant in November aged 10.

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KerryMum · 26/06/2008 20:41

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KerryMum · 26/06/2008 20:40

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