Get Awesome Materials to Raise Hearing and Speech Awareness

Two groups have created a variety of useful materials about communication disorders that are free to use and distribute.

To raise awareness about communication disorders, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association observe Better Hearing and Speech Month each May.

This month, they are holding a social media contest and providing an inforgraphic and a quiz about hearing loss, as well as other communication disorder information in press releases, information sheets, posters, and more.

According to the institute’s website, 48 million Americans have a form of communication disorder, while 37.5 million of us have hearing loss–that’s 15 percent of Americans.

Want to use the infographic above? The institute has created a version you can upload to your website or blog here.

Currently, the institute supports research for promoting accessible health care and urges people who think they have hearing loss to have their hearing tested.

Since only 25 percent of Americans who could benefit from hearing aids have used them, there are potentially people who might want them who haven’t had access to them, or who may need them for safety or work-related issues.

On their website, you may take a quiz in the right-hand column to determine if you should have your hearing tested.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association is promoting a social media contest to raise awareness. The association will award points for sharing information on social media and issue prizes for those earning the most points. Prizes will include Amazon gift cards and association promotional materials.

Learn what people with communication disorders, audiologists, speech-language pathologists are doing to raise awareness on this interactive, international map.

The association has also provided many press release materials and patient information handouts about hearing loss–in English and Spanish.

Sign Shares, Inc./International educates society about awareness issues concerning communication disorders through this blog and also on our website, including answering questions people ask about using sign language interpreters and information about how to empower communities by providing communication access.

Request sign language services from Sign Shares here.

 

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Focus Group Explores Deaf/Hard of Hearing Community Needs

Friday, March 25, Sign Shares, Inc./International and the new advocacy business, The Capsule Group, known as Capsule, hosted a focus group in Houston regarding the needs of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community at the Heights Neighborhood Library.

The group provided attendees with opportunities to discuss their needs regarding medical access. Attendees also took a Medical Access Needs Survey, which provided input about whether their communication needs are being met.

The meeting provided Certified Hearing and Certified Deaf Interpreters, as well as CART live captioning.

Attendees learned about The Capsule Group, which is a modern day business formed to educate, advocate, and legislate for people with all disabilities.

Capsule’s founder, Detective: Eva Storey, says, “As American citizens people of disabilities have national rights and as Texans, we have our very own state rights. Well, certainly we should be cushioned, but that’s not the case with many situations within disability rights. The Capsule Group, referred to as Capsule, is an organization that will set the standards, and the census, based upon the one-on-one time, voiced by the communities of all types of disabilities. We started off with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, since they are such an underserved community all because they are unable to hear. Can you imagine being denied services all due to a simple language barrier? We are here to be a spring board to educate others that may not understand the life of a certain disability, advocate for those that may not know their rights, and legislate on behalf of their rights, creating a focused movement with solutions. Capsule is a person’s legacy, specially time-stamped, and we will soon launch, informing those who wish to start a Capsule for someone who has a need in the community. So please stay tuned, it’s going to be something different!”

Survey results will be compiled to create data to share with state legislators about the needs of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community.