Technology for facilitating of education of individuals with hearing impairment

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Technology for facilitating of education of
individuals with hearing impairment Presented at
NCED, Nagpur By R Rangasayee Director Ali
Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing
Handicapped Ministry of Social Justice
Empowerment Govt. of India ISISO 90012000
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• Health, housing, transport, and communication
  are pre - requisites for promoting human capital
  through education and employment. Thus,
  education of children with sensory impairment
  begins rightly in restoring the child's sensory
  capabilities to the fullest possible extent.
• It is also well recognized that training to
  children with sensory impairments right from
  early infancy is a pre requisite for promoting
  inclusive education (NCERT's Curriculum
  Framework 4.7, pg. 19, 2006).

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• The National Policy of Persons with
  Disabilities clearly states that free and
  compulsory education has to be provided to all
  children with disabilities up to the minimum age
  of 18 years in the light of 'Article 21 A' of
  the constitution assuring education as a
  fundamental right, and the Sections 25 and 26
  of the PWD Act 1995, reiterates the
  constitutional provisions.
• The New Education Policy revised in 1992
  stipulates an objective to integrate the persons
  with physical and mental handicap with
  the general community as equal partner to
  prepare them for normal growth and to enable
  them to face life with courage and confidence.
  This document includes vocational training, as
  well.

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• A research report of AYJNIHH in Mumbai on the
  theme of 'Additional Cost incurred in bringing
  up of children with hearing impairment in India
  (N. Karthikeyan et al, 2008 ) indicate that
  physical and educational rehabilitation consumes
  Rs.6129/- per year in bringing up Children with
  Hearing Impairment as compared to the children
  without hearing impairment.

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Income Group One time cost incurred on Aids and Appliances Recurring cost
High Income Rs.31,619/- Rs.3,310/-
Middle Income Rs.10,115/- Rs.2,450/-
Low Income Rs.5,428/- Rs.1,637/-
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• 1) Sound Enhancement Technology specific
  amplification systems used to assist in the
  reception of sound. Included are traditional
  systems, such as hearing aids, as well as
  personal and group hardwire, infrared, induction
  loop and frequency modulation (FM) systems.
• 2) Television Enhancement Technology- equipment
  used to improve the auditory perception of
  televised signal. This category includes
  telecaption decoding and many sound enhancement
  devices.
• 3) Telecommunication Technology-systems used to
  enhance telephone communication. Included are
  text telephones (TT), built in and portable
  amplifiers and induction system.
• 4) Signal/Alerting Technology-the group of
  devices used to signal the presence of sound to
  a hearing impaired listener. Included are visual
  and tactile hardwire or wireless systems as well
  as hearing ear dogs.

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• Surgery and fitment deal with wide range of
  aids and appliances which include the
  following-
•     Body level hearing aids
•   BTEs
•   In the Ear/Canal hearing aids
• Cochlear Implant

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INDIVIDUAL HEARING AIDS
BTE
Body level
IN THE EAR HEARING AIDS
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Solar Charger The Hearing aids being
distributed free of cost are not being used by 30
- 60 of recipients. Women and children were not
able to procure battery cells. Hence, after a
rigorous research study a solar battery charger
has been developed Over 1,20,000 persons are
using it in the country.
Single Cell Charger
Multi-cell Charger
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Techniques need to be appropriately evolved for a
given situation. For example, where high end
digitalized hearing aids are not available, the
pocket model hearing aids are held in the hand
and thus the signal to noise ratio is increased.
Eg. Bala Vidyalaya, Chennai, India.
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Implants
Cochlear Implant
Bone anchored hearing aid
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Television enhancement technology
Use of FM System
Tele captioning
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• The concept in health economics which talks
  about 'Household production of health', if
  extrapolated, you may create a framework to
  assess 'Household Production of Hearing'.
  This framework deals with consolidated outcome
  of internal resource available in the family,
  and it's ability to pool in external resources
  towards bringing up the child with hearing
  impairment.

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• .
• Use of technology is directly related to the
  preferred mode of communication whether
  verbal or manual.
• Thus, the technology for facilitating
  education of individuals with hearing
  impairment needs to be dichotomized clearly
  based on the preferred mode of communication, be
  it individual or family or the state
  (school/college or agencies)

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• The technology required will vary widely, and
  cost based order of priority is given below-
• Body Model Analog Hearing Aid
• Body Model Analog Hearing Aid with Induction Loop
  system in the class room
• Ear Level Analog or Digital Individual Hearing
  Aids
• Frequency Modulated Hearing aids with transmitter
  set placed with the teacher. If there are more
  than one class with a student with hearing
  impairment then different transmission
  frequencies may be used.
• 5. Cochlear Implant

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• The other devices that could facilitate inclusive
  education are as given below
•   C - Print Technology developed and promoted by
  NTID, Rochester, New York. Special software'
  is used for typing the lecture on a laptop
  placed in front of a student with hearing
  impairment in order to read the lecture which
  can be as class notes too. The C - print
  software, a personal laptop computer and C -
  print captionist trained in the use of C print
  software is required .
•    Speech to text technology These are
  advanced versions of Dictaphone, which provide
  real time online running of text on a screen.
•     Audio visuals in the form of power point
  presentation.

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Signal alerting technology
ALARM VIBRATOR
AMPLIFIER STETHESCOPE
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Signal alerting technology
DOOR BELL SIGNALLER
PILLOW VIBRATOR
VIBRATOR WATCH
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• Non technology based assistance-
• Sign Language Interpreter
• to appoint a note taker- This could also be a
  classmate who takes a carbon copy/photocopy of
  the lecture notes and shares it with the student
  with hearing impairment.
• Distribution of lecture notes in advance to
  students is a good practice. Care should also be
  given for classroom lighting.
•  

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Selection of technology can be best
decided following the 2 x 2 table given below
Technology       same
high                    
1 2
3 4

• . Acceptable
• . Not acceptable
• . Acceptable
• . Questionable

Benefit
same
high
 
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Technology Plurality The mix of traditional,
conventional and newer technology have to be
applied judiciously in increasing the functional
capacity of Persons with Disabilities.
 
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The human choices are ever increasing.
Therefore, the innovative efforts are never
ending. The innovations continue to emerge in
this field.
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As David Werner has said physical technology,
when not available could be compensated with
human assistance, as well.
THANK YOU