Julie Raney is a certified and licensed audiologist. She has a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a Master’s Degree in Audiology from Idaho State University. She has worked as a clinical audiologist in Colorado since 2005. She specializes in hearing amplification for adults and delivers her services in both English and Sign Language.

What Has The ADA Done For Hearing Loss?

While there was month long coverage of the ADA’s 30^th anniversary in the New York Times in July of 2020 little coverage was spent exploring hearing loss or deafness. Even so the number of people in the US is estimated to be 48 million or 15% of the population and ever rising. This is in part due to a world, which continues to become more and more noisy, and lack of awareness on how to protect yourself. Even so, over the past 30 years there have been many improvements for people with hearing loss in the workplace, schools and in the arts.

Protection In The Workplace

When looking for a job many employers may overlook or exclude people with hearing loss consciously or subconsciously in favor of a person with normal hearing. This is why the ADA created strict guidelines concerning what an employer can ask a potential hire about their disability. Even if hearing aids are visible or the applicant discloses that they have hearing loss the employer can only ask questions surrounding if they are able to do the job. In fact a person with a hearing impairment cannot be dismissed from a job as long as they are able to accomplish the work they were hired to do safely.

Accommodations at Work

The ADA has stated that employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. For people with hearing loss this may include assistive computer software which can transcribe phone calls to text, assistive listening devices which help to amplify a speaker or work area adjustments like providing a quiet place in order for the hearing impaired person to hear. In addition the ADA prohibits offensive conduct, which discriminates against people with disabilities such as name-calling or mockery.

Public Accommodations

In addition to protecting people in the workplace the ADA requires public spaces such as transportation or medical facilities to be accessible to all disabilities, including those with hearing loss. For those with hearing loss public accommodations could be sign language interpreters in medical or legal settings, offering induction hearing loops which send public announcements to individuals using hearing aids, or the use of flashing lights for smoke and warning alarms.

Hearing Loss in an Educational Setting

Nothing can be more frustrating than trying to learn with a hearing impairment. You may strain to hear but keep falling behind due to hearing loss. In schools and other educational settings, the ADA has enforced reasonable accommodations for students with hearing loss to succeed, such as note takers, devices which captions speech in real time and the use of amplification devices.

What Can Be Done to Make it Easier For People With Hearing Loss In The Future?

With much education and work moving to online platforms, the ADA has to ensure that sites, which support work and school, can provide adequate captioning for people with hearing impairments. While talk to text applications and programs are helpful they could stand to operate more precisely. However one of the biggest advancements, which the ADA could offer, would be for Medicaid and insurance companies to cover hearing aids. Hearing aids are an important investment and for millions of Americans they may be difficult to afford. Making hearing aids accessible to more Americans can offer people with hearing impairments an equal footing to people with normal hearing in public spaces, in the workplace and in educational settings.

We believe in providing the best comprehensive hearing health services. If you’ve experienced changes in your hearing, we’re here to help! It is important to take a hearing test. Contact us today to schedule an appointment!