Deaf Awareness

Question 1

How common is deafness in the UK?

Answer 1

• 1/6 of the UK population have some degree of deafness.

- 1/10 of these people are severely or profoundly deaf.

Question 2

Define ‘hard of hearing’.

What is the range of hearing loss for people who are hard of deaf?

Answer 2

• A term used to describe hearing loss that has occurred gradually.
• Anywhere up to 40dB of hearing loss.

Question 3

What is the range of hearing loss for moderate deafness?

Answer 3

40-70dB.

Question 4

What is the range of hearing loss for severe deafness?

Answer 4

71-95dB.

Question 5

What is the range of hearing loss for profound deafness?

Answer 5

> 95dB.

Question 6

At which ages does profound deafness usually come about?

Answer 6

At birth or in childhood.

Question 7

List 7 causes of deafness.

Answer 7

1 - Congenital.

2 - Genetic.

Acquired:

3 - Infection.

4 - Injury.

5 - Ototoxic drugs.

6 - Meniere’s disease.

7 - Tumours.

8 - Trauma.

Question 8

Give an example of a congenital cause of deafness.

Answer 8

Cochlear dysplasia.

Question 9

List 6 infections that can cause acquired deafness.

Answer 9

1 - Otitis media.

2 - Rubella.

3 - CMV.

4 - Meningitis.

5 - Encephalitis.

6 - Measles.

Question 10

List 3 ototoxic drugs that can cause deafness.

Answer 10

1 - Gentamicin.

2 - Vancomycin.

3 - Aspirin.

Question 11

How does the medical model of deafness describe deafness?

Answer 11

1 - As a developmental deficiency or disease.

2 - As a defect to be corrected or cured, e.g. with a cochlear implant.

3 - As a defect for which individual adjustment and behavioural change is an effective cure.

4 - As a defect for which the main aim is to teach those afflicted to speak.

Question 12

List 3 impacts of the medical model of deafness on deaf people.

Answer 12

1 - The medical model gives deaf people the responsibility to make themselves understood.

2 - The medical model aims to make deaf people fit in with the majority.

3 - The medical model reminds deaf people that their speech is abnormal.

Question 13

How does the social model of deafness describe deafness?

Answer 13

1 - As a socially created problem.

2 - As a problem created by the inability of those who are not deaf to communicate with deaf people.

3 - As a characteristic that is discriminated against.

4 - As a problem that causes isolation of people from the community.

5 - As a problem for which the main aim is to recognise and accept individual differences.

Question 14

List 3 ways according to the social model of deafness in which society creates barriers between deaf people and those who are able to hear.

Answer 14

1 - Through a lack of awareness.

2 - Through attitudes towards deafness.

3 - Through a lack of accessible information.

4 - Through a lack of recognising and accepting individual differences.

Question 15

How can the main aim of the societal model be carried out?

Answer 15

By manipulating the social environment to improve access and participation.

Question 16

What is the cultural model of deafness?

Answer 16

A model in which deaf people belong to a culture in which they are not disabled, but rather have their own fully grammatical and natural language.

Question 17

List 4 characteristics of deaf people according to the cultural model of deafness.

Answer 17

1 - Those who use sign language as their first language see themselves as part of a social, cultural and linguistic minority.

2 - Deaf people don’t see themselves as disabled.

3 - Deaf people have shared social beliefs, behaviours, institutions and traditions.

4 - Deaf people have not experienced loss and have a positive attitude towards deafness.

Question 18

According to the cultural model of deafness, what is the advantage of having deaf cultural attitudes?

Answer 18

The minority group’s disadvantages are preferred to a lifetime of viewing oneself as disabled.

Question 19

Give an example of a cause of the difference in prevalence of deafness between different countries.

Answer 19

1 - Genetics.

2 - Lack of a register of deaf people.

3 - Differences in censuses in different countries used to record deafness.

Question 20

How many people in the UK use sign language?

Answer 20

151,000.

Question 21

List 5 communication tactics with deaf people.

Answer 21

1 - Speak clearly and at a normal speed.

2 - Ensure there is minimal background noise.

3 - Ensure there is good lighting.

4 - Talk face to face.

5 - Gain attention by waving or tapping.

Question 22

What is total communication?

Answer 22

Communication which blends a variety of modalities such as sign language, speech, body language and images.

Question 23

List 4 causes of mental health problems that might relate to deafness.

Answer 23

1 - Social exclusion.

2 - Life stresses.

3 - Lack of access to treatment.

4 - Poor coping mechanisms.

Question 24

Whose responsibility is it to ensure that a BSL interpreter is present when communicating with a patient / customer?

Answer 24

The responsibility is of the public body / business (not the patient / customer).