MN Hands & Voices

Lifetrack Resources

709 University Avenue West

St. Paul, MN 55104

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MNHV@lifetrackresources.org

 
 
Children Who Are Hard of Hearing

Selected Resources

 

www.MNHandsandVoices.org

 

 

Ninety two percent of the 20 million persons in the United States who have a hearing loss are functionally hard of hearing rather than deaf (Flexer et al., 1996).  Many resources related to hearing loss are relevant to parents whether their child is deaf or hard of hearing. However, MN Hands & Voices also has resources that are specifically directed to hard of hearing children and their parents. A sample of these is listed below, as well as other resources you might want to explore. For a complete list of our library materials, please visit www.MNHandsandVoices.org.  To borrow any of the materials from our library, just give us a call or send us an e-mail. 

 

 

Books

 

1.                  Baby Talk, by Victori Kozak and Betsy Moo Books, 2001.  This book is a good primer on first steps to take after parents have discovered their child is hard of hearing.  The book helps parents understand their child’s diagnosis and communication options, and provides practical steps on such things as troubleshooting problems with hearing aid and helping your child develop listening skills.

 

2.                  Not Deaf Enough:  Raising a Child Who is Hard of Hearing, by Patricia Ann Morgan Condlish, 1996.  The author wrote this book “so that other parents of children who are hard of hearing with mild hearing losses might share in the knowledge that she had acquired in raising her youngest child.”

 

3.                  Open Doors:  Options in Communication and Education for Children Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.  This 1998 pamphlet briefly describes various degrees of hearing loss and their implications, including mild and moderate losses.

 

4.                  Our Forgotten Children:  Hard of Hearing Pupils in the Schools, edited by Julia M. Davis (third edition, 2001).  This book “provides up-to-date information on the education of children who are hard of hearing.”  Topics include definitions, early intervention, medical aspects of hearing loss, technology, cochlear implants, federal regulations and resources.

 

5.                  Parents and Their Deaf Children, by Meadow-Orlans, Mertens, Sass-Lehrer, 2003.  This book “details the experiences of a group of parents and their deaf children from the first identification of the latter’s hearing loss through their early years in elementary school.”  Chapter 3 deals with “hard of hearing children: forgotten and overlooked.”  Topics include stress and grief, acceptance and management of hearing aids.  This is one of the few book chapters specifically addressing families with hard of hearing children. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.                  When Your Child is Deaf:  A guide for Parents, by David Luterman and Mark Ross, 1991.  Although most of this book focuses on deaf children, it includes a section that provides an overview of certain educational issues for children who are hard of hearing rather than deaf.

 

7.                  How the Student with Hearing Loss Can Succeed in College: A Handbook for Students, Families and Professionals, by Carol Flexer, et al, 1996.  This book has many tips relevant to hard of hearing students.  The vast majority of people with hearing loss, and the vast majority of college students with hearing loss, are functionally hard of hearing rather than deaf.

 

Articles

 

1.                  “My Story,” by Sara Christensen (1986).  Sara Christensen, a woman who has had a moderate-to-severe hearing loss since birth, was thirteen when she wrote this article about what it is like to grow up hard of hearing.

 

2.                  “What is the Difference Between a Deaf Person and a Hard of Hearing Person?”  Taken from the website of the Information Center at the National Association of the Deaf.  Check out www.nad.org/infocenter/index.html or give us a call for a hard copy.

 

Videos

 

1.                  “Families with Hard of Hearing Children:  What if Your Child Has a Hearing Loss?”  Boys Town Press.  “Like you, the parents in this tape were concerned with their children’s success and participation in their family and community.  The professionals discuss the many issues you may be facing.”

 

National and State Organizations to Contact

 

1.                  The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf, “is the world’s leading membership organization and information center on pediatric hearing loss and the auditory approach,” as described on their website.  Visit them at www.agbell.org or call Toll Free 866-337-5220 or 202-337-5221(TTY).  The Minnesota chapter provides support to families with deaf and hard of hearing children, education families with “up to date information regarding education, technology, assistive listening devices and legal rights.”  MN AGBell also had mentor and kids programs.  Visit them at www.mnagbell.org. 

 

2.                  Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (DHHS), a division of the Minnesota Department of Human Services in St. Paul, offers services for both deaf and hard of hearing individuals.  Call 651-297-1316 (V) or 651-297-1313 (TTY) or visit their website at: www.dhhs.org.  

 

3.                  Minnesota Resource Center:  Deaf/Hard of Hearing is a statewide resource center “addressing special education and services for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.”  Call 800-657-3936 or visit http://education.state.mn.us/html/intro_speced_dhh_com.htm.

 

4.                  Self-Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH).  The primary purpose of local and national SHHH groups is to “educate ourselves, our relatives and friends about the causes, nature and complications of hearing loss and what can be done about it.”  For more information see www.shhh.org (national) or www.deafvision.net/shhhmn1/news.html (state).  The President, David Miller of MN SHHH can be reached at dnk@millershome.com for more information.

 

5.                  www.asha.org:  The American Speech, Language and Hearing Association has information on children and hearing aids, cochlear implants and assistive technology.  Our mission is: “To promote the interests of and provide the highest quality services for professionals in audiology, speech-language pathology, and speech and hearing science, and to advocate for people with communication disabilities”.

 

6.                  www.beginningssvcs.com: Beginnings for Parents of Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing seeks to provide unbiased information to parents.  Their website includes a reference chart about the goals, parent training and other factors involved in different communication options.  They also provide helpful links.  Visit their website or call 800-541-4327.

 

7.                  www.deafchildren.org:  The American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC) is a national organization that focuses on creating opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing children to gain “meaningful and full communication access, particularly through the competent use of sign language.”

 

8.                  www.handsandvoices.org: Hands and Voices is a parent-driven organization in Colorado dedicated to “providing unbiased support of families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing.”

 

9.                  www.sesa.org/DHHSite/pages/index.html , www.audiologycentre.com, and www.acoustics.org/press/133rd/2paaa2.html.  These three websites offer information on meeting the needs of students who are hard of hearing.  See the sites respectively for a discussion broad,”“FAQ on Classroom Management of Children with Minimal Hearing Loss,” and “Impact of Hearing Loss on Children in Typical School Environments.”

 

10.              http://deafness.about.com/library/weekly/aa030199.htm provides information on parenting hard of hearing children. The author provides a list of materials with the note, “these are the few resources I found that were solely about hard of hearing children.”

 

 

 

 

This is not a complete list of resources available.  If you do not find something of interest listed here, we encourage you to contact MN Hands & Voices for further information and

The resources listed here have been selected by the staff of MN Hands & Voices but are not affiliated with us in any way, please review carefully as we can not be responsible for their contents or claims.