Minds On
“My Signing Family”
Being Deaf or hearing-impaired describes someone who has experienced partial or total hearing loss, or who hears sound differently.
Explore the following video called “My Home, My Life” and meet Jasmina and her family, who are Deaf.
What are some of the ways that Jasmina communicates with others?
Press ‘Hint’ to access one possible answer.
Jasmina uses a signed language called American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate with her family and other Deaf people. She uses an interpreter who can translate ASL for people who are hearing.
People who are Deaf or hearing impaired have a strong sense of belonging and a diverse culture. Deaf culture is based on a signed language, values, traditions, and identity specific to the Deaf community.
Pause and Reflect
Pause and reflect
What are some of barriers that a person who is deaf or hard of hearing might experience at home or at school?
Record your ideas digitally, orally, or in writing.
Action
How does hearing work?
To understand how and why hearing loss happens, let’s explore how the ear works.
This is a labelled diagram of the human ear. It shows a cross-section of the outer ear, middle ear and inner ear. From the opening of the ear, there is a canal, like a tunnel that ends at a membrane, which is called the eardrum. The middle ear connects the eardrum to three small bones called the malleus, incus, and stapes. They are attached to the cochlea in the inner ear. The cochlea is in the shape of a spiral. There are nerves that connect to the cochlea and travel onto the brain.
The ear has three different parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. They work together to process sound.
Press the following tabs to access detailed information about each part of the ear.
The outer ear picks up sound waves that travel through the ear canal. Inside the ear canal, there is a membrane called the eardrum.
When the sound waves hit the eardrum in the middle ear, the eardrum starts to vibrate. These vibrations move three tiny bones called the malleus, incus, and stapes. These bones help move sound into the inner ear.
The vibrations travel to the cochlea, which is part of the inner ear. The cochlea looks like a spiral or a snail shell. It is filled with liquid and is covered with tiny hairs, called hair cells. The sound vibrations make the hair cells move.
In the cochlea, there are two types of hair cells: the outer and inner cells. The outer hair cells process sound information, make it louder and tune it. The inner hair cells change soundwaves into electrical signals. The hearing nerve sends the signals to the brain.
Types of hearing loss
There are two main types of hearing loss: conductive and sensorineural.
Explore the following set of flashcards to learn more about these types of hearing loss. Press the audio button for an example of the pronunciation of each new term.
Check for learning
Now that you have had the opportunity to explore these new terms, as well as examine the different parts of the human ear, you may review your learning by answering the following multiple choice questions.
For each statement, select the correct answer.
Future impacts
A is for accessibility
Accessibility ensures that all products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments can be used by people with different abilities. New developments, practices, and technologies are emerging every day to help support better accessibility for all.
One of ways that schools and services can be more accessible to Deaf and hearing-impaired communities is to communicate using ASL, and/or provide ASL interpreters.
Assistive technology can also help people to access, benefit from, and actively engage in their communities.
Let’s learn about how technology is helping to increase accessibility for some people who have experienced hearing loss.
Assistive technology: Hearing aids
Some hearing-impaired people may choose to wear a hearing aid.
Hearing aids are battery-operated electronic devices that can help people with hearing loss to process sound in different ways.
Hearing aids can help to make some sounds louder. They come in different shapes and sizes. They can be worn inside the ear or behind the ear.
There are five parts of a hearing aid:
- speaker
- microphone
- computer processor
- battery
- amplifier
How do hearing aids work?
- Nearby sounds in the environment are picked up by the microphone.
- Sounds are analysed and modified by the computer processor to meet the specific hearing loss needs of the individual.
- Sounds that are processed are sent to the amplifier.
- The amplifier makes sounds louder and sends them to the speaker.
- The speaker sends sounds to the inner ear.
- Inside the inner ear, sounds are transformed into electrical signals.
- The electrical signals are received by the brain, where they are processed into sound.
Analog or digital?
There are two main types of hearing aids: analog and digital.
Analog hearing aids convert sound waves into electrical signals and then make them louder. They have simple volume controls.
Digital hearing aids convert sound waves into numerical codes similar to computer codes, then amplify them. The code includes information about the direction of a sound and its pitch or volume. They can be adjusted manually to respond to the sounds in the environment.
Learning check
Put the following steps in order to explain how sound is absorbed and modified in a hearing aid.
Let’s explore more examples of assistive technology.
Assistive technology: Captions
Captions allow Deaf and hearing-impaired people to access the spoken parts of television, movies or social media. Captions appear along the bottom of the screen as subtitles, and include information about background noise, music, and who is speaking. Captions can help others as well. For example, captions can be read when the audio can’t be heard because of excessive noise in environments such as airports.
Return to the video in the Minds On section. How do the captions allow everyone to experience the video?
Assistive technology: FM systems
FM stands for frequency modulation. An FM system has two parts. One part is a microphone that the speaker wears. The microphone sends a signal to the receiver. These receivers can be worn around the neck, as headphones, or integrated into a digital hearing aid. FM systems can be used in classrooms, restaurants, theatres and other large areas and can help to amplify sound for different community members.
Pause and Reflect
Pause and reflect
How might FM systems benefit all students in a classroom? Record your thinking using a method of your choice.
Consolidation
Putting it all together
In this learning activity, we have explored different ways that Deaf and hearing-impaired people access their communities, including ASL (American Sign Language) and with assistive technology, such as hearing aids and captions.
Respond to the following questions to demonstrate your learning. Record your answers digitally, in writing or using an audio recording.
- Describe the journey that sound makes as it travels through the ear. Use appropriate vocabulary to explain this process.
- Explain the differences between conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, and identify some of the causes of hearing loss.
- How are sound waves processed and modified through a hearing aid?
- Why is accessibility important for everyone when designing products, services, technology, vehicles?
- What are some ways that schools and services can be more accessible for Deaf and hearing-impaired communities?
Reflection
As you read through these descriptions, which sentence best describes how you are feeling about your understanding of this learning activity? Press the button that is beside this sentence.
I feel…
Now, record your ideas using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.
Press ‘Discover More’ to extend your skills.
Discover MoreDeafplanet is a Canadian television series in American Sign Language. It was created in collaboration with TVOntario and the Canadian Cultural Society of the Deaf. A French-language version of the show was also produced, using Quebec Sign Language. You can find episodes of this exciting show by searching “Deafplanet” online.