Hearing Disability in Canada

HEALTH & HEARING LOSS

Megan George

Kayla Slegers

Beata Mostowiak

Logan Fan

❖ Introduction Video❖ Background information❖ Issues Deaf/Hard of hearing Face❖ Policies❖ Activity❖ Health Disparities❖ Helpful Resources

AGENDA

Meet Ashleigh, Sarah & Sara

Meet Ashleigh, Sarah & Sara

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Deafend● Describes an individual who grew up hearing or hard of

hearing and, either suddenly or gradually, experience a profound hearing loss.

Hard of Hearing● Typically used to describe individuals whose hearing loss

ranges from mild to severe, and occasionally profound. deaf

● Typically used to describe individuals with profound hearing loss, or no residual hearing. Identify themselves with hearing people.

Culturally Deaf● Refers to individuals who identify with and participate in the

language, culture and community of Deaf people, based on a signed language.

Hearing aid● A device worn behind the ear, in the ear or in the ear canal. Hearing

aids amplify sounds- all sounds.● Consists of: a battery, loudspeaker, amplifier and microphone.

Cochlear Implant● Electronic device that helps provide a sense of sounds to someone

who is deaf or hard of hearing. Part of it is surgically implanted under the skin and sends and receives electronic impulses from the auditory nerve to the brain.

Lip Reading & Sign Language

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

● Not always possible to identify

1. Causes before birth (prenatal causes)2. Causes after birth (postnatal causes)

CAUSES

● Across Canada, 1 out of 25 people have some hearing impairment (1,022,220 people)

● 530, 210 people in Ontario (4.74% of the population) are deaf or hard of hearing.

● 6 in every 1,000 babies are born with hearing loss in Canada

● Statistics for the Niagara region are lacking!

WHO IS AFFECTED?

❖ ODSP

❖ Income support❖ Employment support

POLICY

➢ On June 13, 2005, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) received Royal Assent and is now law.

➢ Achieve accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities

POLICY

Standards:❖ Customer Service (O.Reg.

429/07)❖ Standards for Transportation ❖ Information and

Communications❖ Built Environment❖ Employment

Standards will be developed by the Government of Ontario in collaboration with persons with disabilities, representatives of industries and various sectors of the economy

POLICY

Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA)➢ Public sector organizations including government

ministries, municipalities, hospitals, public transportation organizations, school boards, colleges and universities are required to continue to prepare and make public annual accessibility plans their legal obligations.

POLICY

➢ The Accessibility Plan is intended to identify, remove and prevent all barriers that may impede residents and visitors from accessing and using municipal services within the responsibility of the Regional Municipality of Niagara.

➢ An accessibility plan is used to address issues and barriers preventing persons with disabilities from participating fully in the life of the community.

POLICY

POLICY

The FADS Document

❏ Under the Niagara Affordable Housing Programs, private sector and non-profit housing proponents, builders, and contractors were provided and encouraged to incorporate the FADS document.

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POLICY - NIAGARA REGION

POLICY - NIAGARA REGION

INITIATING POLICY - NIAGARA REGION

Regional Policy Guideline

Provincial Policy Laws

Federal Mandates No Federal Disability Act

Regional Policy Initiatives

INITIATING POLICY - NIAGARA REGION

Develop training and necessary policies in compliance with the AODA’s mandate of Customer Service Standard

Incorporate accessibility considerations from all AODA Standards into policy/procedure

Regional materials available in alternative formats upon request, website regularly updated with accessible technologies, legible and clear writing for print products and print advertising, accessible webinars

Enhance communication between regional, local, and agency departments(e.g. document preparation, storage and distribution to use readable PDF technology)

Enhance communication especially for those hard of hearing to participate in community advocacy, advisory committee participation and community collaboration

INITIATING POLICY - NIAGARA REGION

Niagara Region has now adopted the 2007 version of FADS, will continue to develop to incorporate AODA’s Built Environment Standard

Use FADS as guideline for all improvements and as criteria for leasing and lease renewals

➢ Add visual strobe to audible fire alarms➢ Included in all new construction and retrofits of existing facilities

Working together with Red Cross, Accessibility Advisory Committee, stakeholders

Expanded medical trip criteria now includes employment and education

“I always have to look behind me, all the time, because I don’t know if someone is there. But sometimes I have to walk down an alley alone, and it never feels good.”

-Ashleigh

INITIATING POLICY - NIAGARA REGION

INITIATING POLICY - NIAGARA REGION

Review with FADS and Design of Public Spaces – Built Environment Standard as guiding documents

What can be done to design sidewalks in a way more accessible for those hard of hearing?

INITIATING POLICY - NIAGARA REGION

Consideration of barriers to accessibility during periods of construction or snow removal

● OSAP for students with disabilities

Bursary for Students with Disabilities (BSWD)

❖ Up to $2,000 per academic year.

● Many other programs, but general OSAP reduced as regular disability counts as a source of income

INITIATING POLICY - NIAGARA REGION

● Interview - government policy on compensating for implant and battery fees:○ To qualify, must have:

■ 1. Strong communication skills■ 2. Profoundly Deaf■ 3. Independently function in the community

Profound - Some very loud sounds may be heard or felt through vibration. Speechreading training, speech therapy and counseling are essential (this is the level of hearing loss for a late deafened person)

INITIATING POLICY - SELECTIVE COVERAGE

❏ Get into Pairs- One A and the other B

❏ Take turns trying to try lip reading, while your partner reads a sentence using silent speech (no voice)

What is it like to be hard of hearing?

ACTIVITY

➢ How successful were you at lipreading?

➢ What helped make lipreading easier?

➢ What are some barriers that these individuals

may face?

● Those with hearing disabilities are less likely to receive health promotion and prevention information due to communication issues

● Also less likely to engage in preventative health measures● Hard of hearing individuals are also less likely to

participate in health surveys (i.e. unable to participate in telephone surveys)

● They are more likely to: smoke, drink, be overweight/obese, suffer mental health issues

HEALTH DISPARITIES

1. Health services2. Education3. Employment4. Income5. Housing

DISPARITIES IN SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms:“Any health care service, facility, or good that receives federal funding, whether direct or indirect, must provide accessibility to those services, facilities, and good for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or otherwise disabled or handicapped”

● Individuals with hearing loss face disparities in access to health care services

➔ No hospitals have interpreters on staff ➔ medical staff lack training to effectively communicate with

deaf individuals

HEALTH SERVICES

● ASL word order is not the same as English word order and may cause miscommunication between medical provider and patient For example: if a doctors writes that the patient “you may need

surgery” this can be misinterpreted as “you need surgery in may”● communication errors can lead to missed appointments,

misdiagnoses and medication errors● booking appointments is also difficult due to communication

issues ● communication barriers=distrust

HEALTH SERVICES

● Individuals with hearing loss have on average lower educational attainment

● Far fewer individuals enter into post-secondary education than their hearing peers

● In 2006, 50.2% of hearing impaired individuals reported their highest level of educational attainment was completion of high school or below

● Only 20.1% achieved a college degree or diploma below a bachelor’s degree

● 17.5% attained a trade or apprentice certificate● Only 7.5% attained a bachelor’s degree and less than 5% completed

education above the bachelor level

EDUCATION

EDUCATION LEVEL

● The Canadian Association of the deaf found that:-only 20.6% of Deaf Canadians are employed-42.9% are underemployed-37.5% are unemployed

● deaf employment is weak in the professional and technology fields-the amount of high level/ high power positions taken by deaf

individuals is almost non-existent ● most deaf individuals work contract jobs in low-skill required jobs (i.e.

file clerks, maintenance staff)

“Often times deaf individuals are doing meaningless work, such as house cleaning. This is the only type of job they can get”.

EMPLOYMENT

Survey results showed:● 70% of respondents claimed that their deafness had prevented them from

getting a job● 68% felt that looking for employment was a problem due to their unique

communication needs● 74% responded that their chances for promotions were far less compared

to their hearing colleagues

“Many individuals who are deaf look great on paper, but when they go into an interview there is discrimination and they need to hire an interpreter for the interview-many companies don’t want to do this”.

EMPLOYMENT

● Employers assume that communicating with hearing impaired is “too much trouble”

● Employers assume that meeting the needs of employees with hearing loss would pose a financial strain

● These attitudes are part of systemic discrimination against deaf individuals and are mostly due to ignorance and lack of information.

REASONS FOR EMPLOYMENT BARRIERS

● Lower education levels lead to lower income levels=increase in income gap!

● Individuals with a family income of less than $20,000 are twice as likely to report hearing loss, compared to families with $50,000+

INCOME

● In the Niagara region, there is a long wait list for affordable housing

● 5,740 households are currently on the wait list● Waiting time range from 1-10 years● Often, people with hearing disabilities spend most of their ODSP money on housing, leaving little left for food or entertainment.

HOUSING

low education→ low employability→ low income→ housing

discrimination

poor mental health + poor nutrition

PLUS difficult access to health care = poor quality of life

DISPARITIES IMPACT HEALTH

1. Use the cultural model, not the medical model of deafness

2. Use equitable partnerships to include deaf persons in health research

3. Create and implement health education materials that are accessible to the hearing impaired

4. Educate and employ the hearing impaired in public health

5. Modify employment anti-discriminatory policies

POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS

Ashleigh, Sarah & Sara

★ Learnt how to lipread at a young age★ Sarah & Sara attended an Early

Language Intervention Program★ All had a Auditory Speech Therapist

“Biggest Challenge is talking in large groups of people and in large loud places”

“Finding a job can also be hard, interviews are a challenge because we can’t do phone

interviews”

Ashley McLarenThe Canadian Hearing Society

★ Has a sister who is Deaf★ Hard time finding meaningful

work★ ODSP- It’s hard to get out

INTERVIEWS

What are some stigmas associated with hearing impaired individuals?

QUESTIONS

❖ Canadian Hearing Society❖ Hearing Foundation of

Canada❖ Ontario Disability

Support Program❖ VOICE for Hearing

Impaired Children❖ Distress Centre Niagara❖ COAST Niagara (Community

Outreach and Support Team)

❖ Brock University Health Services & Student Development Centre

❖ DSBN Literacy & Language Program

❖ Niagara College Literacy & Basic Skills

❖ Niagara West Adult Learning Centres

RESOURCES IN NIAGARA REGION

Sound Sense: Hearing Health for Elementary Students

Educating children on the dangers of noise exposure

and how to protect our hearing.

HEARING FOUNDATION OF CANADA

Communication DevicesDesigned to improve communication, safety & independence.

Education Support ServicesFor students at University or College to help participate in the classroom experience.

Sign Language Interpreters

Hearing Help Classes

Counselling ServicesCONNECT program

General Support Services

Family Communication Program.

CANADIAN HEARING SOCIETY

ASSISTIVE DEVICES

CONNECT ❏ Provides professional counselling services to deaf, deafened

and hard of hearing individuals of all ages and their families. ❏ Free-of-charge, confidential and offered in a fully accessible

environment.❏ Offers counselling, education and advocacy to assist with:

■Mental health ■Grief & Loss ■Violence■Life transitions ■Relationships ■Sexuality■Family challenges ■Addictions ■Deaf Identity

COUNSELLING SERVICES

NEW Education Program◆ Developed in 2013, located in Hamilton, ON.◆ Services offered in Niagara and Brantford Regions.◆ Addresses Major Concern

● Struggle between school-aged children and their parents to communication at home due to limited resources to learn ASL

◆ Goal of Individualized Sign Language Instruction Program● Improve communication using visual language.● Keep pace with ASL skills.

◆ ASL instructor meets parents in their homes for 9 two-hour sessions.

FAMILY COMMUNICATION PROGRAM

★ *Employment Services○ For neither Job Seekers or Employers

★ Centre to test adults and children for hearing loss.

★ Speech and Language programs ★ Community Development Program★ Settlement Program for Newcomers to Canada★ Sign Language Classes for Businesses★ Sign Language Classes for Individuals.

LACKING IN NIAGARA

Income Support Program

★ Benefits Include:● Monthly Financial Assistance● Ontario Drug Benefits Card● Basic Dental Care● Vision & Hearing Aids● Clothing● Community Start-Up benefits

Employment Support Program★ Benefits Include

● Helpful regardless of your employment situation

● Getting ready for work or finding a job

● On-the-job training● Specialized training● Assistive Devices● Starting up your own business● Helps you advance in your career

ONTARIO DISABILITY SUPPORT PROGRAM (ODSP)

Health & Wellness Centre

● 24 Hour counselling & support services.

● Mental health & wellness resources

● CopeCareConnect

Student Development Centre

● Note taking● LD enhanced services● Assistive technology

Sarah uses Note Taking services and

says it is a very helpful tool.

BROCK UNIVERSITY

Advocacy Program● Raising awareness for children with hearing loss.● Participation of special education advisory committees & government

consultations.

Auditory-Verbal Therapy● Facilitates spoken language for deaf and hard of hearing.● Uses hearing technology such as hearing aids or cochlear implants.● Parent-child centered approach & Goal is to integrate into

mainstream classrooms.

VOICE FOR HEARING IMPAIRED CHILDREN

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