What is DHH?
Defining Deaf and Hard of Hearing
When hearing individuals want to get a glimpse of what it is like to be DHH, most often they cover their ears and do their best to prevent their sense of hearing from occurring. However, there is much more to being DHH than just the lack of noise one experiences. Like any person, they have acquired memories, knowledge, and language; just in a different way. As a teacher, it is important to see each DHH individual as the person they are and to understand that not every DHH person is the exact same, with the exact same abilities. Everyone is different, unique, and their own person with their own personality. In this section of the website, you will find links to definitions and explanations around DHH, the difficulties they have accessing learning, issues with cochlear implants, common misconceptions with lip reading, and be sure to check out the FAQs page for additional answers. There are also additional resources below with information on these areas.
“Deaf People Can Do Anything Hearing People Can, Except Hear.” Dr. King Jordan
Definitions
You will find a Glossary of Terms on the Canadian Hearing Society page as well as on the article to the right. It is important as teacher to be familiar with these terms and to know what terms your DHH student associates with.
It is also important to review the Models of Deafness on the Canadian Hearing Society page. There are many ways a DHH individual identifies themselves just like there are many ways anyone identifies themselves. Your DHH student may have particular feelings about any one of these models so it is important for you as the teacher to help support your DHH student in any way possible.
Deaf Gain
A video by Deaf Inc. that looks at the ways society has benefited from DHH individuals. Closed captioning is a perfect example of a positive impact, or a Deaf gain, that has occured due to DHH individuals. This video is great to show students when they are meeting a DHH individual for the first time.
Used with permission by DeafThat owned by DEAF Inc.
Additional Resources
Is Your Classroom Acoustically Friendly?: A checklist from the Voice Academy that helps you examine your classroom, the materials and equipment within in, and provides ways for making your space an easier listening environment for all students.
Listening in a Sea of Noise: An article by Karen L. Anderson, Ph. D., that discusses the effects classroom noise has on students' performance and actions that can be done to help alleviate these problems.
SNAG Tips for a Quieter Classroom: A pamphlet, developed by the School Noise Action Group out of British Columbia, that goes over in precise detail ways to make your classroom a quieter place.
Teacher Accommodation Suggestions Based on the Student LIFE Appraisal: A document you can download that goes over the common challenges DHH students face in regards to the different noises that occur in and out of the classroom and how to best address these concerns.
The Peer Notetaker: A short document from Teacher Tools that goes over the benefits of using a peer notetaker with DHH students and how to best go about the process of using a peer notetaker.
Tips and Tools for Amplification: From the Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss website, this page reviews various types of hearing aids and how amplification impacts our hearing.