Jessica S. West, PhD, MPH, a medical sociologist and faculty member at Duke Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences (HNS&CS), defines hearing loss stigma as “the negative or unfair beliefs about hearing loss (or hearing devices) that make people view it as abnormal and undesirable.”
Dr. West, who has congenital, bilateral, moderately severe, sensorineural hearing loss, has helped develop a series of surveys to measure different types of hearing loss stigma and is seeking grants to distribute these surveys, with the aim of using the data to develop interventions to reduce hearing loss stigma and improve the well-being of people with hearing loss.
These surveys were published last fall in a special supplement of the Lancet Commission on Hearing Loss, titled “Measure to Understand: Tools to Assess d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Stigma,” through research partnerships at Duke University and RTI International. Dr. West was recently invited to present her research on advancing the understanding of hearing loss stigma and strategies to identify and prevent it at the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) Wake Chapter. Audience members shared their personal experiences with hearing loss stigma and strategies they have developed to combat it.
The mission of HLAA is to open the world of communication to people with hearing loss by providing information, education, support, and advocacy. It is an organization of volunteers dedicated to improving their own lives and the lives of everyone with hearing loss.