Introduction

While this booklet is primarily for newly deafened people, others will find it useful for updating their knowledge of existing sources of help.

Being "deaf" can imply a multitude of different conditions. It is rarely fully understood by those who have not experienced it. Even some social workers, doctors and nurses can seriously misinterpret an individual's communication needs.

There are three sets of circumstances which are considered as "being deaf". It may be helpful for anyone who is trying to come to terms with their own hearing loss, to see how their particular symptoms compare with others in a similar situation.

Culturally deaf people are those who have never had much useful hearing, and communication using the spoken word has always presented a major challenge. Some have risen to this challenge magnificently, using British Sign Language (BSL) as their normal first language. The needs of such people are largely outside the scope of this booklet, although there is useful information in the Factsheets for those who wish to learn BSL or avoid discrimination in areas of education, employment, leisure activities and the routine of daily life. It is estimated that there are about 50,000 users of BSL in the UK.

Deafened people are those for whom this booklet is primarily designed. They are people who grew up and were educated in the hearing world and then lost most or all of their useful hearing. This loss may have occurred at any age for a variety of reasons. It can cause particular problems if it happens at the stage in a person's life where they are raising a family or progressing a career. There is no medical definition the condition for being deafened although attempts are being made to standardise the terminology by using the phrase Acquired Profound Hearing Loss or APHL. It has been estimated that there are at least 120,000 deafened people in the UK. Your audiologist or consultant will be able to clarify the extent of your hearing loss.

Also in the category of deafened people may be those who lost their hearing at an early age but have learned to communicate with words and speech. The availability of cochlear implants for children is increasing the numbers who fall into this group.

There is a far larger number of people, certainly several million in the UK, who are Hard of Hearing. This is a natural part of the ageing process and for most people doesn't become noticeable until they are in their 60s. It can be compensated for by the use of standard hearing aids, available on the NHS or from a private dispenser. People who have suffered a severe hearing loss and received the most powerful aids available will find a lot of useful information in this booklet.

Detailed figures for the number of deaf people in each category are given in an RNID Factsheet. See their website at www.rnid.org.uk/

The loss of hearing can seem the worst of all possible misfortunes to a deafened person. You are cut off from all the sounds you once knew. You might feel unable to communicate properly, to fill your role at home, and find it difficult to get employment or continue your career development, training and education. You may feel you are alone in the world with your problems but you are not. Many others have had exactly the same thoughts, but by sharing them and using the help available have found ways to get round most of these difficulties. This booklet has been compiled entirely by people who want to share the solutions they have found.

The plea heard from many newly deafened people is: Why didn't someone tell me? Why did it take so long to find out about lip-reading and textphones and subtitles and all the things that would make coping with my hearing loss less difficult?

This short booklet is an attempt to respond to some of these pleas. It does not set out to tell you everything but just to give an idea of what is available, how to find out more about the services and aids that you think might help you - at home, in the workplace or wherever. We have tried to make the information general so that it will not be out of date, and to put time sensitive material in the Factsheets, but things are changing, and hopefully improving, all the time, so do bear that in mind as you read through this booklet and make use of the Factsheets.

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