Hearing impairment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Hearing impairment - Essay Example There are various reasons that cause deterioration in the level of education among indigenous Australians. Implementation of effective methods can raise the level of education among such people. It is also essential to identify the cause of hearing impairment and appropriate preventive measures should be adopted to manage the prevalence of this disorder. There are several policies and strategies implemented by the government to increase the level of education among the indigenous Australians with hearing impairment. In the past 30 years a lot of efforts have been made to increase the level of education among the indigenous Australians with hearing loss. There are various policies and strategies implemented by the government and the non government organization to curb this issue of education among such people. In spite of it, there still needs to be considerable progress made in the level of education among the indigenous population of Australia. The difference in the level of education among the two sections of the community in Australia affects its literacy rate. A study has revealed that 20 percent of the indigenous students meet the reading standards while 30 percent of them meet the righting standards. About 70 percent of the non-indigenous students meet both the righting and reading standards [Cronin, 2001]. One of the major causes of this difference is hearing impairment among the indigenous population of Australia. About 11 to 60 percent of the indigenous students suffer from hearing loss [Prevention of hearing impairment from chronic Otis media, n. d]. Australia's dominant culture, cultural misunderstanding and prejudices, family background and socio-economic status also attribute to lower level of education among such people. [Cronin, 2001]. The education process existing due to the racial discrimination between the indigenous and the non-indigenous population of Australia also has its implications on education of the indigenous population. Due to this racial difference sometimes, the teachers do not respond well to the needs of indigenous students. However, the major cause of concern is the hearing impairment that persists in this section. Hearing impairment is most prevalent among the indigenous population present in the central and northern Australia. This is mainly caused due to chronic Otis media. The risk factors that lead to this disease are overcrowding and exposure to wood, cigarette smoking, poor hygiene, inadequate housing, and high rate of naso pharyngeal colonization with pathogenic bacteria, Eustachian tube dysfunction, inadequate and unavailable health care [Prevention of hearing impairment from chronic Otis media, n. d]. Poor hygiene is also a main cause for several types of ear diseases which in turn leads to hearing impairment. It generally occurs during childhood, which is the most crucial stage in a person's development. A large percentage of the Australian children suffer from ear infection, which subsequently leads to hearing loss. Most of the infants have perforated eardrums. Hearing impairment affects the overall developmental activity of a child. The nerve between the inner ear and the temporal cortex of the brain is essential for the growth and development of speech and language in children. The language and numerical ability of such children retards due to