HEARING LOSS
WHAT IS HEARING LOSS?
Hearing  loss, also known as  hearing impairment, is a partial or total inability to hear. A deaf person has little to no  hearing. Hearing  loss may occur in one or both ears. Hearing  loss is diagnosed when  hearing testing finds that a person is unable to hear 25 decibels in at least one ear.
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TYPES OF HEARING IMPAIRMENT
There are three types of hearing loss including:
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Sensorineural hearing loss, this type of hearing loss that has been caused by a lesion or disease of the inner ear or the auditory nerve.
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Conductive hearing loss which is due to problems transferring sound waves anywhere along the pathway through the outer ear, eardrum or ossicles.
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Mixed hearing loss, this is a combination of both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. It can happen after a head injury, long term infection or because of a genetic disorder.
Click on the following links to learn more about BSL
Learn the BSL alphabet
Learn about the basic greeting signs
Learn the useful BSL words
TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
LIP READING
This is a technique used to understand speech by visually interpreting the movements of the lips and tongue, using facial expression and body language to help. It is used by many deaf people who do not sign; especially those who were born hearing and have either gradually or suddenly lost their hearing during their life. It can be used with sign-supported English (SSE). This ‘borrows’ signs from British Sign Language and the speaker signs the key words in a normal English sentence while speaking in plain English.
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BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE
In the UK, deaf people use British Sign Language(known as BSL), but every country around the world has their own form of sign language. This is used mainly by people who have been deaf from birth and who are often therefore part of the Deaf Community. BSL is a visual language which uses hands, facial expression and body language. BSL is a language, separate to English, and uses its own grammar structure. It also has regional signs across the UK. BSL also uses the two-handed fingerspelling alphabet. This is used to spell names of people and places, or where the sign isn’t known. Lip readers may also use it to clarify words.