Hearing Health Blog
A survey of more than 1,500 respondents with hearing loss found that while many look for and request accommodations, they are often not available—62 percent answered “seldom or never” when asked how often they can find accommodations.
Statistically speaking, half of grandparents and great-grandparents have significant hearing loss. So do about one in 10 of the aunts, uncles, or adult friends ages 55 to 64. Plus, we know that among adults exposed to loud noise—at work or in everyday life—about one in five has a hard time hearing speech. This can be a real hindrance to enjoying the holidays when all we want to do is connect with one another and share life’s joys.
Growing up with a parent with hearing loss, I understood the challenges that can result from communication gaps. I also saw firsthand how many people with hearing loss don’t seek medical help because of the cost or not being aware of services.
If you are any age and have both a hearing loss and a smartphone, “get smart” is how to educate you and your phone. Smartphones have allowed us a degree of freedom and communication access undreamed of in the not too distant past.
Along with Silent Network and its sign language programming, a new network called Access Network was launched in 2018, providing open captioned and language-free programming for the general public and deaf, hard of hearing, and people learning English as a second language.
