Deafness prevalence summary

An expanded version of this table appears in my book
If you really need this information, please ask your librarian or bookseller to obtain the book.

Going back? Where did you come from?
Back to The Duality of Communication
Back to Prevalence
   

 Segment

      
   

Hearing loss

 9.74% Adams & Benson, 1991  
   

Deaf (Normally >70 dB for ‘severe’, 90 dB for ‘profound’

      
    Deaf prelingual 0.035–0.3% Sneed & Joss, 1999  
    Deaf all ages including prelingual 0.873% Sneed & Joss, 1999  
    Deafened after age 19 0.68% Schein & Delk, 1974  
     

Of the above deafened proportion

        
      Deafened due to head injury/trauma   3.9%
5.2%		 Heath, 1987
Boone & Scherich, 1995		  
      Deafened due to illness/medication   40.5% Boone & Scherich, 1995  
      Deafened due to surgery (tumor etc.)   12.8% Boone & Scherich, 1995  
      Deafened medical/surgical combined   57.7% Heath, 1987  
      Deafened congenital/unknown   38.4% Heath, 1987  
      Deafened progressively/heredity/idiopathic   41.5% Boone & Scherich, 1995  
      (Subtotals in studies may not add to 100% due to “unknowns”        
   

Hard of hearing

      
    Hearing loss “sufficient to make it difficult or impossible to hear a normal conversation” 4% Levitt & Bakke, 1995  
    Loss over 40 dB, hospital Continuing Care patients 72% Woodcock, 1989  
    Loss over 20 dB, nursing home residents 83% Canadian Hearing Society, 1987  

 

   

Sources

Adams, P.F. & Benson, V. (1991) Current estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, 1990. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Statistics 10(181):82–128.

Boone, S. & Scherich, D., ‘Characteristics of ALDAns: The ALDA Member Survey,’ ALDA News, (Fairfax VA: Association of Late-Deafened Adults, 1995), p. 1.

Canadian Hearing Society (1987)

Heath, A., The deafened: a special group. In Kyle, J.G., Ed., Adjustment to acquired hearing loss. (Bristol UK: University of Bristol, Centre for Deaf Studies, 1987), pp. 163-168.

Levitt, H. & Bakke, M.H. (1995) A rehabilitation engineering research center on hearing enhancement and assistive devices. Technology and Disability 4: 87–105.

Schein, J.D. & Delk, M.T. (1974) The Deaf Population of the United States. Silver Spring MD: National Association of the Deaf.

Sneed & Joss

Woodcock, K. (1988) Accessibility for the hearing impaired in a community hospital. In F. Poirier (Ed.) Ergonomics and Rehabilitation. Université de Laval Press, Québec QC.

  

Deafened People Home Feedback Search Copyright

Last modified 28 July 2002