• Three out of every 1,000 children are born
with significant hearing impairment.
• About 65 percent of these children are
born deaf and an additional 12 percent
become deaf before the age of three.
• In the United States 14.9 percent of
children aged six to 19 have measurable
hearing impairment in one or both ears.
Communicating effectively means that the speaker AND the
listener must be 100% responsible for getting the message
Be an Active Listener: truly listen. Don't think ahead to what
you’re going to say. Be focused on the speaker, in the
moment, listening with an open mind.
Components of Active Listening
• Totally focused on the other person
• Listening with open mind
• NOT thinking “what am I going to say next?”
• Are not formulating a defense or an opinion
while other person is speaking
• Are not doing anything else
Copyright © 2006, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
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Encourage: Don’t agree or disagree
 Use non-committal words with positive tone.
 I see…Uh-huh…That’s interesting
Restate: Restate the other’s basic ideas, emphasizing the
facts
 If I understand, your idea was
 It sounds like you believe…
Reflect: Restate the other’s basic feelings
 You feel that…
 You were pretty disturbed by…
Summarize: Restate, reflect and summarize major ideas
 These seem to be your key ideas…
 If I understand correctly, you feel…
Copyright © 2006, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
►W What happened? State the
►
I
►N
situation clearly and concisely,
and indicate which portion was
unacceptable.
Insist on a resolution of the
situation. Remain calm, cool and
collected, but intent on resolution.
Never give up! Know what your
next steps are. Know your
legislation. Know your rights!
Copyright © 2006, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Keep Up With the Times!
CAPTEL Technology – www.captionedtelephone.com
 Designed for people who can talk but do not hear well
enough to use the phone without assistance.
 Available with extra-large keys and a 5- or 6-line LED
screen. The user can simply pick up the hand set and dial
the number of the person he or she wishes to reach. The
phone automatically connects to the relay provider and
then dials the destination number. The relay assistant is a
“silent partner,” and the caller and called party engage
in direct communication. The relay assistant re-voices the
other party’s speech into a voice-recognition system
which then converts the sounds into text for the CapTel
screen.
Copyright © 2006, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
X-10 Technology
• Lights flashing throughout the house when doorbell or phone rings
•
Two kinds of notification systems
–
–
•
Some use the house’s power line to communicate between transmitters and receivers:
Power line-based visual and tactile (vibrating) alert systems use X-10
Some are self-contained: vibrating alarm clocks, door-knocking signalers, etc.
A typical X–10 system may include a doorbell and a telephone connected to a
transmitter outlet. Receiver modules plug into electrical outlets, usually with a
lamp, strobe light, or vibrator. When a doorbell or a phone rings, the X–10
transmitter sends a signal through the house’s electrical wiring to all receiver
modules, which then activates any attached lamps or vibrating alerts.
Copyright © 2006, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
If your friends rely on voicemail as an essential means of communication, it can be an
obstacle that may cause problems in your relationships or friendships.
Either you or a friend make a greeting in your voicemail
system that will ask the caller to contact you by a
different means: “You have reached YOUR
NAME voicemail. To reach him/her, please send an
email to yourname@youremail.com ."
Use caller ID to see who called and returns calls
through the relay service
Use the relay service to check your voicemail either inhouse or from a remote location
Teach all your teachers, family, and friends to use some
form of text-based communication either through email,
instant messaging, or paging
Copyright © 2006, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Communication Tips
 Tell your driving instructor of your hearing loss so they can
communicate effectively
 The instruction room will need an FM system, or the instructor
can make the room acoustically sound
 Sit in a location where you can easily see the instructor’s lips. The
instructor should not turn his back while speaking
 Ask your instructor for a brief outline of the day’s lesson
 When driving, the vehicle should be free from noise. Make sure
the windows are rolled up and the radio is off
Safety on the Road
 Safe Driving - If stopped by a police officer, don’t move in a
way that suggests that you are looking for a weapon. Give the
officer a moment to recognize that you are deaf or hard of
hearing. If you are pulled over on a busy, loud highway, put
your hazard lights on, and pull off to a quieter location.
 Be Aware - When driving, constantly be aware of your
surroundings. Check your mirrors often for police cruisers, fire
trucks, and ambulances with emergency equipment activated.
Copyright © 2006, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Suspect or Under Arrest – you have the right to be
assisted by a qualified interpreter!

Victim or Witness – you may choose the form of
communication that you prefer, including a qualified
interpreter, within the limits of time and convenience
of the situation

Other Police Contacts – in most situations you are
free to choose any form of communication that allows
you to interact effectively with the police including the
use of notes, gestures, or available printed materials

Assistive Listening Devices - there are now TTY
devices installed at all principal police facilities
Copyright © 2006, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
LEAP (Leadership Enrichment Adventure Program)
Designed to help young adults develop skills in individual
leadership, teamwork, conflict resolution, and problem solving,
LEAP offers young
adults the opportunity to share their hearing loss experiences
with other college students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
LOFT (Leadership Opportunities for Teens)
Volunteer Opportunities at AG Bell
Find out the best way to volunteer with at AG Bell National
Headquarters
More information available at: www.hearourvoices.org
Copyright © 2006, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Bullying includes hurtful
acts, words, or other
behavior. It is an
oppressive or negative act
carried out against you (or
another) with intent to
hurt or harm.
• Studies have shown that
the “words will never hurt
you” adage is not true.
Words can hurt just as
much as physical violence.
Make sure to take the
right steps to prevent or
end any bullying a teen
has experienced.
Copyright © 2006, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Learn self-advocacy skills.
• Learn independent problem-solving methods.
• Understand the disability in order to
communicate this understanding to others. If the
disability is not a “secret” it will be less powerful
to bullies.
• Maintain peer relationships. Once social skills
are developed, the opportunity for isolation and
vulnerability is reduced.
• Find out if your school has an anti-bullying
policy.
Copyright © 2006, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Title I: Employment—Title I
of the ADA prohibits
discrimination in the workplace.
It covers hiring, firing,
advancement, compensation and
benefits, including health
insurance benefits. Employers
may not discriminate on the
basis of disability. If the
applicant can do the job with
reasonable accommodation, the
employer is required to provide
those supporting services or
technological aids. Reasonable
accommodation means that
providing these services or aids
does not expose the employer to
undue financial hardship.
• All colleges or universities (and even some high
schools!) have an Office of Disabilities. These
offices serve one purpose: to make sure
young adults have the resources they need to be
successful students.
• Individual accommodations can be made in all
classroom settings, and your college, university,
or high school is required by law to make these
accommodations. Each Office of Disability
strives to create a community that is completely
accessible to all individuals through technical
assistance, information, and disability
awareness training.
Copyright © 2006, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
It's important to understand the civil rights that can protect you from
discrimination, whether for school or your professional life.
What is the IDEA?
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees the right to free
and appropriate public education to students with disabilities. The IEP is the
document that makes the school district accountable.
The group that makes decisions (the IEP Team) may include: teachers,
administrators, therapists, your parents, family members…AND YOU! – if
appropriate
The IEP may include: Interpreting/captioning, Assistive technology, Classroom
accommodations and related services, Special instruction and classroom support
School districts are required to provide whatever services are necessary to ensure an
appropriate education, however, the services that the school district agrees to provide
MUST be outlined in writing on the IEP.
Copyright © 2006, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Your school district must provide an appropriate educational program and
related services, without regard to the cost of those services: even if it
means looking outside of the district--or sending the student to another
program—in which case the district must provide transportation as a
related service.
If you don’t agree with the IEP, or the school isn’t providing the services
they’ve promised:
1. Parents don’t have to sign the IEP
2. Meet with the IEP team again
3. Go through mediation or present
evidence before an impartial third party
4. File a complaint with the
State Education Agency (SEA)
Copyright © 2006, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Movie Theaters: The ADA does not require movies to be open
captioned. However, ALL movie theaters must provide assistive
listening devices!
Hotels: required to provide guests with hearing loss with the aids they
need to ensure equal access on the property - visual smoke alarms,
vibrating alarm clocks, visual door-knockers, and TTYs. Hotels are
required to have assistive devices for 4% of their total rooms. So, for
a hotel of 100 rooms, 4% is 4 rooms.
Copyright © 2006, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Speak to your school’s faculty, your class, school, team, etc. about
hearing loss
•
Mentor a younger student with hearing loss
•
Participate in the development of your IEP
•
File a complaint with the Department of Justice (ADA only)
• Work on a campaign. Support candidates who advocate for people
with disabilities
Copyright © 2006, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing