Hearing loss is the result of sound signals not reaching the brain. [NHS]

There are many different types of hearing loss and causes, please see RNID Appendix.

Hearing loss impacts socially: physically and economically

• It impacts12 million UK citizens who suffer with hearing loss greater than 25 dBHL. This is equivalent to 0ne in five adults.,

• An estimated 1.2 million people in the UK have hearing loss greater than 65 dBHL.

4. 4 million working age and approximately 50,000 deaf children.

• Hearing loss can increase/ the risk of dementia by up to five times, but evidence also suggests that hearing aids may reduce these risks.

• Hearing research is significantly underfunded. In 2018, less than 1% of the total public and charity investment in medical research was spent on hearing research. That adds up to just 83p spent for every person affected.

• Working for Change report found leaders surveyed in our YouGov poll don’t feel confident about employing that 35% of business a person with hearing loss.The Ear Foundation Report reveals the real cost of adult hearing loss to society

Above points from RNID statistics

I only discovered the link between tinnitus and hearing loss by accident. I had been discussing my tinnitus with a colleague who happened to be a specialist in this subject and she told me that hearing aids can prevent hearing loss in sufferers. Hearing aids enable the user to continue to hear sounds and prevents loss of signal in the auditory pathway. A person who is unable to pass sounds and signals to the auditory cortex will, over time, lose the ability to hear words and sounds.

I have tinnitus in both ears and suffer from mild to moderate hearing loss. As a result I am unable to hear certain consonants and mis-hear words. I now wear hearing aids in both ears.

My experience made me wonder about other people with hearing loss. I realized that everyone’s experience would be different and wanted to find about these. I started researching different categories of hearing loss and Severity mild-moderate-severe-profound. I read about treatments and clinical trials, clinical and scientific papers and speaking with hearing loss experts as well as other people with hearing loss. I even went to a lipreading classes!

This experience helped me to focus on what I wanted to do in my own study.

It became apparent to me that I needed to look at the psychological experience of people with hearing loss & identity. I wanted to see if their diagnosis had impacted them as an individual. I also wanted to explore the impact of self within the context of the family, friends, work and broader social relationships.

I worked with fifty [50] individuals as part of this project. Identities have been changed to protect privacy.

The first thing that I wanted to know was if each individual wore a hearing aid and, if they did wear a device, how it affected their communication. I focused on the following relationships: close friends and family, educational relationships, work relationships and wider social environment.

From each of these the following people said that they experienced (problems?) as a result of wearing a hearing aid or not.

• Close friends and family [

• Educational relationships

• Work relationships

• Social environment

I also wanted to find out if there were any other impacts from their hearing loss.

• How did the participants perceive their own hearing loss? [put details here]

• How did friends, family, work colleagues, other students perceive their hearing loss and how did they react to this?

• Did their hearing loss elicit any negative behaviour from others?

• Did their hearing loss cause them to change their behaviour in any way?

• Did their hearing loss have any impact on their job?

I found sufferers psychological consequences as per clinical papers however, the impact on hearing first hand peoples experiences was very profound and vivid because of the body language voice tone and phasing , that for me is lost in the clinical statics.

As in clinical statics, I found, shame, guilt, anger: exclusion; isolation; suspiciousness; Insecurity, fatigue depression: personal, parental, and public stigma etc from mild to profound. Some dealt with hearing people’s perception of hearing loss by writing a statement before their meet ‘I’m not stupid, I have a hearing problem’ then gave a bullet point list how their communication can be easier.

Denial with self or within the workplace was very common, a couple of people [both hearing aid users] never told their employers or colleagues of their hearing problems, another was very angry within the workplace, they both left their employ only for the circle to go around again.

The subject is huge, therefore in the time allowed, I have researched a tiny fragment of the pathological aspects of hearing loss they are:-

1. Sensory Hearing Loss

‘Talking in the Cupboard’.

The difficulties, frustration, anger of the sufferer unable to hear conversation.

More common obstacles are hands/objects in front of mouth.

2. Conductive Hearing Loss

Difficulties encountered by a conductive hearing loss suffer.

And how this has affected her psychologically throughout life

3. Sudden Hearing Loss.

Account of the initial onset of sudden hearing loss by a sufferer.

4. Untitled [Spot who has hearing loss]

I have created three dimensional sculptural and photographic installations to depict the above,

Lorraine Braggins will provided to accompany installation:-

• Definitions of different types of hearing loss from RNID

• Psychological paper on denial of hearing loss

• Citylit community feedback on hearing loss questionnaire. Author Heloise Parke & Hearing Loss Dept.

Prof Anne Schilder provided UCL hearing loss research links