Holly

I am just curious. Does something like that exist? I guess you could go with earplugs but that doesn't really make you "profoundly" deaf. Anybody know of something that does that?

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jillio

Well, one can plug their ears to experience a lack of sound, but that doesn't really simulate deafness, because deafness is a construct that encompasses the whole person and is not limited to just not being able to hear.

VamPyroX

While a hearing person can wear earplugs, the body (especially the head) can still carry the sounds into the ear... so a lot of things can still be heard.

My best guess would be through acupressure or acupuncture.

Acupuncture is where they stick needles in certain parts of your body to cause certain things to happen such as nerves, muscles, etc.

Acupressure is similar, but with pressure instead of needles. Ever watch Xena: Warrior Princess? She uses her finger to press on a guy's neck and make him unable to breathe? That's similar.

If a doctor could figure out that method, a hearing person could willingly allow the doctor to make him deaf for a day... then hearing again.

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Holly

You right, i'm sorry I should've used a better term. I simply meant to simulate the deficit of sound so that a hearing person can better understand where the deaf are coming from and why things like covering your mouth when talking, being shouted at, and inappropriate ways of getting a deaf persons attention might be bothersome. Only reason I asked is because I think it would be nice to have that available for parents/friends/relatives of deaf individuals who want to better understand where their loved one is coming from in regards to what I mentioned above Sorry if I offended, didn't mean to

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Holly

Vampyrox, I tried to view your city but it wouldn't come up. Do you still have it?

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jillio

No need to apologize. I wasn't offended in the least. I was just pointing out that a hearing person can experience a temporary absence of sound, but that is just a small part of deafness.

Holly

so true!

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~♥~Pinky~♥~

Hello, My husband is hearing. He do wear an earplugs to protect from 2 much noise on plane. He was working engineer on plane. It's very loud can hurt his ears. He always wear a headset for ipod all the times. He have to use a limit volume. He didn't like the white headset like it's popular to white ipod. It's not good for everyone to hearing loss due too loud on music. When he wear a headset with ipod. I did say hey to him. He can hear me. He can't hear the background and too much noise. It's not really profoundly deaf.

Did you know many hearing people got a cool earmold with design for music, radio, police, swimming, hunting, pilot and etc. They need wear an earmold with earplugs to prevent of too much noise. Many children had an ear infection from swimming. They have to wear an Aqua earmold as earplugs. That's same as hearing aids' earmold.

~♥~Pinky~♥~

My nephew is hard of hearing. He has 100 percent deaf in his left ear. He has 80 percent in his right ear. He can be temporary to hearing loss when he is sick. His ear have a pressure. It's so strange.

Hear Again

I don't know of anything a hearing person can wear to simulate deafness, but there are various websites on the Internet which give audio samples of varying degrees of hearing loss/deafness. (To find them, do a Google search for hearing loss simulation.) There also used to be a cassette tape which simulated hearing loss, but I don't know if it's still available. If I can find specific websites to direct you to, I will post them here.

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jillio

Yes, I listened to that cassette many years ago. It really is enlightening. But I haven't seen a copy in ages. I would assume that the websites are pretty much the same thing, though.

Boult

Phonak hearing systems - Hearing loss simulation

Simulations

NIOSH Mining: What Does a Hearing Loss Sound Like? | CDC/NIOSH

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Hear Again

Here are some additional websites:

Hearing Loss Sampler

Hearing loss, what does it sound like?

Jillio,

While doing a Google search, I came across a CD which simulates hearing loss and tinnitus, but I don't know if it's the same recording you and I are thinking about. The CD is available from:

http://www.nal.gov.au/Products/heari...ation%20CD.htm

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Deafblind/Postlingual

jillio

Thanks for the info! I'll check it out.

john57

When I was at School at N.T.I.D. the audiology department had a special hearing aid that generate low level of white noise to give to hearing people with tight ear molds more of simulation of deafness and to reduce the body micophone effect on hearing.

Raykat

The only way a hearing person could simulate being truly deaf is to live the life that we live for several years, no amount of ear plugging, white noise devices or whatever will give a hearie the slightest comprehension of deafness or the many hurdles that we face. It is a total physical, mental, phsycological concept that only the deaf can understand.

Why would you want to wear earplugs knowing full well that you can take them out at any time and become hearing again, this is so different from knowing you are deaf for life. Going deaf for a day just doesnt cut it.

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deafskeptic

Indeed not.

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SCBassist

It just may work. I have experienced sudden altitude changes in a helicopter (MH-60 Blackhawk, U.S. Army Medical Transport) and with the pressure difference, It does get hard to hear. So in my opinion, you need something that either suddenly decreases air pressure or an extra long ear canal plug thet rests on the ear drum. Aside from going completely deaf, that's as far as reality I can think of. Do at your own risk though.

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Hear Again

You're welcome.

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Right ear - Nucleus Freedom
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Deafblind/Postlingual

john57

Actually from what I see, the hearing person will get lost quite quickly into a environment that they are not used to and have no coping skills that are developed like a HOH person. They will get a "taste" of that experience. To say "hearie can not get the slightest comprehension of deafness" is self servicing is like telling Jilo that in no way she can understand her son deafness.

Raykat

Getting lost in an unknown environment for a short time is nothing like knowing that it is permanent, at the end of the day the experimenting hearie knows they will hear again, for us there is no end, it is a life sentence.

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NEWIDME

I am not sure this applies but my son, who is 4, had a tryout on my aid. To explain to him back when he was 2, I put my CIC in his ear so that it wouldn't squeal and I whispered 'hear how loud that is?' And he nodded. I said that I couldn't hear w/out it. I just did that w/ my daughter but I don't think she get's it yet. In the past, when a boyfriend wanted to know, i would plug my aid into their ear. The hearing can tell how the sound is different than real hearing. They can see the difference by the way things sound w/ the aid in their own ear. Anyway, that's how i explain it to people.

sr171soars

Indeed! It is one thing to realize that it is temporary but it is a whole different thing when one knows it is permanent.

I liken it to somebody on a low balance beam a foot off the ground. Anybody can do it and if they fall, so what. Now, try that 25ft in the air without falling.

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shel90

I agree with you and Raykat..

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dreama

I think it's a good thing if a hearing person wants to experience the way we do. I don't think it should be discouraged. Maybe the can't put themselves totally in our shoes but can we put ourselves in theirs? Everyone has problems you know.

To me being profoundly deaf is no big deal. I only had problems as a hard of hearing person because people wanted me to use my weakest sense to communicate with so actually going profoundly deaf was a major releif. Now they don't have a choice but to use the deafblind manual or block captials with me.

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kipourgos

I had exactly such an experience a couple months ago while flying from Minneapolis to Memphis - my ears weren't clearing on their own, and as we began to make our descent, I realized at one point that I heard no engine noise in the plane. It felt as if the plane were gliding, and I actually was concerned for a moment because that would be...not a good thing, to say the least! Then I realized it was not only the plane I didn't hear...I wasn't hearing anything at all. It's probably the only time in my life that I've experienced complete silence, because even with the best earplugs you still hear your own breathing, swallowing etc. Of course the big difference is that as soon as I plugged my nose and blew, it was all back to normal.