Effects of acknowledging a hearing loss on social interactions

An important part of the counseling process is to offer guidance to people with hearing impairments on accepting their disability and adjusting to the negative attitudes held by some communications partners. The purpose of this study was to determine subjects' (1) preferences for interacting with individuals with a hearing impairment who acknowledged their hearing loss, and (2) perceptions of personality, employability, intelligence, and adjustment related to acknowledgment of hearing loss. Two male students with hearing impairments were videotaped under two experimental conditions. During one condition students acknowledged their hearing losses, spoke about adjustment, concerns, etc., while during the other condition they did not acknowledge their hearing loss. Results indicated that subjects preferred speakers when they discussed their hearing loss. Speakers who acknowledged their hearing loss also received more favorable ratings on personality, employability, and adjustment. Clinical implications for aural rehabilitation programs are discussed. (C) 1999 by Elsevier Science Inc.