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The News-Enterprise - News
The quality of life for today’s deaf and hard of hearing is a great improvement compared to years past, thanks in large part to technology.
Cell phones with text message and e-mail capability, closed captioning for television, video phones and videoconferencing, high-speed internet with streaming video, even TTY phones, or telecommunication devices for the deaf, have opened up the world to those who once felt isolated because of a language barrier brought on by the inability to hear.
Alarm clocks that vibrate the bed and doorbells and emergency alarms that use visual alert lights make independent living possible and safe for people who before may have depended on someone else to wake them, or tell them someone was at the door or that the house was on fire.
Hearing aids, telephone amplifiers and other assistive devices make it possible for some to listen to music and hear the voices of their loved ones.
All these things are available to enable the deaf and hard of hearing to experience life within their community and function efficiently and independently in the everyday world. But sometimes, they aren’t easy to come by.
Certain agencies, such as the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, aim to provide equipment and interpreters at low or no cost to people who qualify for personal use. The challenge can be getting these needed accommodations in the public realm.
“It can be difficult to get the resources you need,” said Anita Dowd, a hard of hearing woman living in Elizabethtown. “Not everybody knows what they need to know to determine the services you need.”
The deaf and hard of hearing are protected under federal and state laws, including the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, meaning they are guaranteed equal access to education, employment, communication and public services. But providing the needed accommodations isn’t always easy, for various reasons.
“It requires a significant amount of time to overcome or remove barriers in order for deaf individuals to become employed,” said Sherry West, a rehabilitation counselor for the deaf who provides assistance to local individuals through the Elizabethtown Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. Overcoming the language barrier to interview for a job is one thing, then there is training and other communication and safety on the job that must be considered.
Some employers simply aren’t able to make the needed adjustments, while others are not willing.
“Some (employers) will do the bare minimum of what they have to do,” said Debby Smith, a communications specialist for the hard of hearing at Vocation Rehabilitation. “You see that with any disability.”
Public schools are required to accommodate students, parents and others who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Joni Davis, special education director for Hardin County Schools, the county’s only school district currently with deaf or hard of hearing students with 16 as of December, said those accommodations may include classrooms equipped with sound fields, in which teachers wear microphones and their voices project through speakers in the room, specialized teaching units and sign language interpreters.
Because there are so few, interpreters often prove to be the most difficult accommodation for many schools, businesses and public services.
According to state law, interpreters must be licensed in Kentucky and certified by a national organization to work in Kentucky. Hardin County has fewer than five licensed or temporary-licensed interpreters. Kentucky has 143 permanently licensed interpreters and 157 interpreters with temporary licenses.
While hospitals, in particular, tend to be aware that interpreter services are to be provided if requested by the deaf individual, the Vocational Rehabilitation office still struggles with some doctors and medical offices, lawyers and employers in being more accommodating and meeting communication needs, West said.
Sarah Greene, a deaf woman living in Elizabethtown, once was selected for jury duty, but when she arrived, there was no interpreter, even though she had requested one prior.
“It happened there, it happens at the hospital, it happens all the time,” Sarah said.
While work continues to provide accommodations and advocate for the deaf and hard of hearing, West, who also is deaf, believes a number of people in the community don’t take advantage of services available.
“I do believe there are more individuals out there who are not being served for various reasons — personal and/or family’s fear of losing Social Security benefits, fear of not being given a chance or accepted into the hearing work environment, barriers caused by negative employer or co-worker attitudes toward those who are considered different due to their language mode and disability,” she said.
By and large, the deaf and hard of hearing are demanding the accommodations that provide them to the same rights, services and quality of life as other Americans.
“More and more deaf are becoming more empowered, they don’t see themselves as disabled,” said Rowena Holloway, spokeswoman for the KCDHH. “Fewer deaf people are using Social Security. They request their accommodations to go out and work rather than not. The most important thing is they need some way to communicate.”
Online educational resources
Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Home Page
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
NIDCD Health Information
hearing/asl.asp
National Association of the Deaf
Home - National Association of the Deaf
Gallaudet University Research Institute
Gallaudet Research Institute (GRI) Home Page
The quality of life for today’s deaf and hard of hearing is a great improvement compared to years past, thanks in large part to technology.
Cell phones with text message and e-mail capability, closed captioning for television, video phones and videoconferencing, high-speed internet with streaming video, even TTY phones, or telecommunication devices for the deaf, have opened up the world to those who once felt isolated because of a language barrier brought on by the inability to hear.
Alarm clocks that vibrate the bed and doorbells and emergency alarms that use visual alert lights make independent living possible and safe for people who before may have depended on someone else to wake them, or tell them someone was at the door or that the house was on fire.
Hearing aids, telephone amplifiers and other assistive devices make it possible for some to listen to music and hear the voices of their loved ones.
All these things are available to enable the deaf and hard of hearing to experience life within their community and function efficiently and independently in the everyday world. But sometimes, they aren’t easy to come by.
Certain agencies, such as the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, aim to provide equipment and interpreters at low or no cost to people who qualify for personal use. The challenge can be getting these needed accommodations in the public realm.
“It can be difficult to get the resources you need,” said Anita Dowd, a hard of hearing woman living in Elizabethtown. “Not everybody knows what they need to know to determine the services you need.”
The deaf and hard of hearing are protected under federal and state laws, including the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, meaning they are guaranteed equal access to education, employment, communication and public services. But providing the needed accommodations isn’t always easy, for various reasons.
“It requires a significant amount of time to overcome or remove barriers in order for deaf individuals to become employed,” said Sherry West, a rehabilitation counselor for the deaf who provides assistance to local individuals through the Elizabethtown Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. Overcoming the language barrier to interview for a job is one thing, then there is training and other communication and safety on the job that must be considered.
Some employers simply aren’t able to make the needed adjustments, while others are not willing.
“Some (employers) will do the bare minimum of what they have to do,” said Debby Smith, a communications specialist for the hard of hearing at Vocation Rehabilitation. “You see that with any disability.”
Public schools are required to accommodate students, parents and others who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Joni Davis, special education director for Hardin County Schools, the county’s only school district currently with deaf or hard of hearing students with 16 as of December, said those accommodations may include classrooms equipped with sound fields, in which teachers wear microphones and their voices project through speakers in the room, specialized teaching units and sign language interpreters.
Because there are so few, interpreters often prove to be the most difficult accommodation for many schools, businesses and public services.
According to state law, interpreters must be licensed in Kentucky and certified by a national organization to work in Kentucky. Hardin County has fewer than five licensed or temporary-licensed interpreters. Kentucky has 143 permanently licensed interpreters and 157 interpreters with temporary licenses.
While hospitals, in particular, tend to be aware that interpreter services are to be provided if requested by the deaf individual, the Vocational Rehabilitation office still struggles with some doctors and medical offices, lawyers and employers in being more accommodating and meeting communication needs, West said.
Sarah Greene, a deaf woman living in Elizabethtown, once was selected for jury duty, but when she arrived, there was no interpreter, even though she had requested one prior.
“It happened there, it happens at the hospital, it happens all the time,” Sarah said.
While work continues to provide accommodations and advocate for the deaf and hard of hearing, West, who also is deaf, believes a number of people in the community don’t take advantage of services available.
“I do believe there are more individuals out there who are not being served for various reasons — personal and/or family’s fear of losing Social Security benefits, fear of not being given a chance or accepted into the hearing work environment, barriers caused by negative employer or co-worker attitudes toward those who are considered different due to their language mode and disability,” she said.
By and large, the deaf and hard of hearing are demanding the accommodations that provide them to the same rights, services and quality of life as other Americans.
“More and more deaf are becoming more empowered, they don’t see themselves as disabled,” said Rowena Holloway, spokeswoman for the KCDHH. “Fewer deaf people are using Social Security. They request their accommodations to go out and work rather than not. The most important thing is they need some way to communicate.”
Online educational resources
Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Home Page
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
NIDCD Health Information
hearing/asl.asp
National Association of the Deaf
Home - National Association of the Deaf
Gallaudet University Research Institute
Gallaudet Research Institute (GRI) Home Page