The film Children of a Lesser God

Children of a Lesser God

Children of a Lesser God is an award-winning American romantic drama film starring William Hurt and Marlee Matlin as employees at a deaf special school, a hearing speech tutor and a deaf custodian, whose opposing views on deafness and speech cause discord and tension in their growing romantic relationship. The sort of disability that has received the most attention in the film is deafness. The action takes place primarily at a special deaf school where coworkers connect. In addition to being deaf, Sarah, the film’s protagonist, has another form of disability. Sarah is stupid and deaf because she lacks the ability to communicate (Skarzynski 23). Despite Sarah’s disability, she is capable to fully express herself to others including James whenever she feels that she has to. More so, Sarah is capable of communicating with other individuals without showing any fear despite her disability. In that manner, she is capable of proofing that disability does not imply that one is unable to live life fully.

Hearing Loss and its Causes

Outstandingly, hearing loss is very prevalent across the globe. Some of the causes for hearing loss include genetics, intricacies at birth, some infectious illnesses, and long-term ear infections, use of certain drugs, ageing, and exposure to so much loud noise. Markedly, more than half of the people with hearing loss are as a result of preventable causes. Hearing loss can be identified using simple tests with some tuning forks which will help a specialist detect hearing loss (Wang and Yuan 12). The tuning forks examination might also reveal if the hearing loss is as a result of obliteration to the vibrating sections in the middle ear (including the ear drum), nerves of the inner ear, or damage to sensors. More so, teachers can also play crucial roles in this diagnostic processes. In a classroom setting, a teacher can be able to tell a student with hearing loss through clues such as; speech problems, inattentiveness, social withdrawals, difficulty to follow oral instructions, and learning difficulties. A student exhibiting such clues can then be taken to a specialist for more assistance.

Professionals Assisting People with Deafness

Different professionals might offer assistance to people with deafness by offering their education, services, or treatment. Audiologists carry out specialized examinations for hearing loss and are in a position to prescribe and commend hearing aids. Audiometrists are non-medical specialists who can also assist individuals with hearing losses get diagnosed as well as apt hearing aids. Otolaryngologists are professionals who can help in treating balance as well as hearing issues, and address cases of allergies which are responsible for sinus congestion (Dooley 24).

Accommodation and Treatment for Hearing Impairment

The recommended accommodation for people with hearing impairment is always giving them fair chances to express themselves without making them feel excluded. The acclaimed treatment for deafness is surgical correction; also, hearing loss can be improved through amplification with bone conduction or through the universal hearing aid (Dawood 13). Paying attention to teaching approach is also important, the teaching method used should utilize a lot of visual work such as charts, slide presentations, and video content. In the process, the educational considerations ought to pay regards to monitoring progress and comprehension of all learners to ensure that the rationale deployed is effective.

Informational References

Some of the informational references that can be deployed by human service workers, parents, and teachers to supplement information about hearing loss include:

1. Occupational Hearing Loss, third edition by Robert Thayer Sataloff and Joseph Sataloff.

2. The Better Hearing Institute website at www.betterhearing.org

3. Children With Hearing Loss: Developing listening and talking by Elizabeth B. Cole and Carol Flexer.

4. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association website (https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Hearing-Loss-Organizations-and-Associations/)

5. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research (JSLHR).

Works Cited

Skarzynski, Henryk. “Long-term results of partial deafness treatment.” Cochlear implants international 15.sup1 (2014): S21-S23.

Wang, Jian, and Fang Yuan. “Progress in the treatment of sudden deafness.” Advanced Emergency Medicine 6 (2017).

Dawood, Mary. “Still the children of a lesser God.” Diversity & Equality in Health and Care (2015).

Dooley, Logan. “A narrative on the token deaf character and how to dissolve it.” (2016).