Communication is central to human experience. For those who are born deaf this is the area most at risk. Unless you have personal experience of deafness in your work or a family member who is deaf you may never have thought about this topic. As deafness is invisible the 350 million individuals worldwide who are deaf, half of this is preventable, are at the fringe of many societies.
This short course will allow you to consider health, social and societal issues in relation to deafness. You will understand how the hearing system works and what can go wrong, particular challenges in low and middle income countries, about screening and diagnostic services, amplification including solar powered aids, challenges to inter-personal communication, sign language and positive stories about what deaf individual can and do achieve. This will challenge stereotypes and promote a positive message about deafness in the 21st century.