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Finding out that your child is deaf or hard of hearing is a shock for most parents. It is a time of tremendous emotional turmoil, as parents deal with a range of emotions. At the same time, realize that there are now many practical issues that must be addressed.

For those of you who have just learned your child is deaf or hard of hearing, you'll find yourself learning a lot over the next days, weeks, and months. But while it may seem overwhelming, keep in mind that there are important things you can to do right now. The rest will come in time:

• Keep loving, playing with, singing to, and talking to your baby.
• Get your child fitted with hearing aids by a pediatric audiologist as soon as possible after diagnosis.
• Find a good professional to begin listening therapy with your child.

Then take the time to investigate and consider the various educational options for the long term. You'll find a great deal of information right here. You can also look under the Resources and Schools sections of this web site for other sources of information.

Things you should know

There are many theories about education of the deaf, and there are people who feel passionately about each of them.

As you make your decisions, you should know that a significant body of research supports the following facts:

Deafness as measured by an audiogram does not predict a child's verbal abilities. Some people believe that the most profoundly deaf children (as indicated by their audiograms) will never hear well enough to listen or speak. However, research shows that the audiogram is not a predictor of oral success. Most profoundly deaf children have the potential to learn to speak.

The earlier you start oral education, the better the results will be. Intervention can begin at birth, and should begin as soon as the hearing loss is identified.

Listening is basic to spoken language. A child who learns to listen at a young age will also be better able to speak.

Spoken language supports literacy. Historically, many deaf children have had low literacy levels. Oral deaf children are more likely to read at their grade level, which also supports other academic growth.

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Captions: Words shown on a movie, television or computer monitor showing what is being said in the program. Captions may be "open" (visible whenever the program is shown) or "closed" (either visible or not). Open captions are actually part of the image, thus can't be turned off. Closed captions are embedded text strings that can optionally be decoded by special hardware when the program is shown. Only a few movies are open captioned, but most video tapes are now closed captioned. Since 1993, all televisions sold in the US have the capability to display closed captions. Televisions without that feature can also show closed captions with a special converter box. News programs are frequently closed captioned, now by simply embedding the prepared text that is displayed on the teleprompter for the newscaster into the outgoing signal. Live programs are sometimes captioned by CART (stenography).

CART - Computer Assisted Real Time Captioning: The use of a computer connected to a stengoraphic machine to display exactly what is said as transcribed by the operator. Originally used in court reporting, the stenograph (which used to use an coded paper printout) can now be translated in real time to a language you can actually read ... like closed captions. CART, is now used frequently to display what is said in meetings so even Deaf and HoH people can read exactly what has been said. See Also CAN and Stenographic Transcription.

CIC - Completly In the Canal: A type of hearing aid that is so small that it fits right into the ear canal. It has the advantage that it's usually less visible that the ITE or BTE aids, but its disadvantages include smaller batteries (with shorter lifespans), lower power, and fewer features (eg usually, no T-Switch).

CI: A Cochlear Implant is a device that can be surgically implanted into a person's coclhea to stimulate it to cause hearing. It consists of a tiny receiver which is placed under the skin in the bony part behind the ear. The receiver has a probe with several electrodes (usually 22 or 24 now), that is implanted into the cochlea. A cochlear implant can be useful if the hearing loss is caused by problems with the cochlea (usually damaged hair cells) or where the loss is caused by problems with the middle ear that cannot be corrected. A person with a cochlear implant also wears a hearing aid like device that has a microphone, a processor and a transducer. The processor manipulates what the microphone hears and sends a signal to the transducer, which is usually worn just behind the ear. The transducer changes the signal from an electrical signal to a magnetic signal that can be received through the skin by the implanted receiver. The receiver then stimulates the probe in the cochlea causing the person to hear. Cochlear implants are relatively new and they are still only used in cases of profound hearing loss. Not all cochlear implants are successful; some types of hearing loss are not improvable with a cochlear implant and some are only partially successful. But, many people with cochlear implants can understand spoken words without being able to see the speakers lips and even understand words spoken over the phone.

Cochlea: The cochlea is the sense organ that translates sound into nerve impulses to the brain. Each person has two cochlea, one for each ear. The cochlea is a fluid-filled, snail shaped cavern in the boney part of your skull near each ear. Tiny bones in the middle ear transmit sound from the ear drum across the middle ear and vibrate against the cochlea. Vibrations in the fluid cause tiny hair cells inside the cochlea to vibrate and generate nerve impulses that then travel to the brain.

Cogan's Syndrome: Cogan's Syndrome is a rare autoimmune inflammatory disease that is characterized by sudden hearing loss in both ears (bilateral senorineural hearing loss); dysfunction of that portion of the ear that helps to regulate balance; abnormal ringing sensations (tinnitus); and possible eye problems.

Cued Speech: Cued Speech is a system of hand shapes and movements that can be used to supplement spoken sounds so that people with severe hearing loss can still understand what is being said. Cued Speech is not a language, but it supplements any language with several special hand shapes and movements that are designed to allow a hard of hearing individual to differentiate between sounds that look alike when seen on the lips (See speechreading) Cued speech can be used by both children and adults, and some feel that, since relies on the primary spoken language then it can help strengthen abilities in that language.

DAI - Direct Audio Input: A feature of some hearing aids to allow an external source to be directly connected as an input that bypasses the microphone. This allows, for example, a television, telephone, ALS or ALD to be directly input to the hearing aid. These devices can be simply plugged into the hearing aid via a "boot" interface. The signal is generally much improved because it goes directly into the hearing aid and bypasses the audio or magnetic interface that the hearing aid normally uses.

Digital Hearing Aid: A hearing aid that uses digital rather than analog processing. Until recently hearing aids were analog devices. Recently, some hearing aids use digital (like a computer) processing to perform some functions. The first hearing aids to use digital processing actually only used it for handling the programmability functions, and the actual sound processing remained analog (see Hybrid Hearing Aid). More recently, some hearing aids also use digital signal processing to process the sound itself. Digital hearing aids are expensive, but they offer great flexibility in both programming and sound processing when compared with analog hearing aids.

Digital Phone: Until recently all telephones have been analog. That is, they process an analog signal to represent the sound. Now some phones are "digital" and they use a digital signal (like a computer) that represents the sound. Digital phones are frequently used in offices where the digital functions support voicemail and many other computer-like operations. These digital phones used in offices, still receive an analog signal from the phone line, but process it and handle the other new functions digitally. Although digital phones are new and may have many new features, the features usually don't help or interfer with hard of hearing users. However, another kind of phone where the term digital is used, is the digital wireless cellphone. Digital wireless cellphones not only process the sound digitally, they actually receive and transmit the audio as a digital signal via radio waves. For hearing aid wearers, these digital wireless cellphones have a tremendous disadvantage. Most digital wireless cellphones phones currently interfer with hearing aids ... they cause a loud buzzing sound to be emitted by the aid, making it impossible to hear the voice being transmitted by the phone. You don't even have to be using the phone yourself to hear the interference. People wearing hearing aids in the vicinity of someone else using a digital wireless cellphone can be affected. SHHH has worked with legislators and manufacturers in an attempt to eliminate the interference caused by digital wireless cellphones, but the effort continues.

Hearing Aid Dispenser: A hearing aid dispenser is anyone who sells hearing aids. Hearing aid dispensers are not required to have a degree in audiology.

Disposable Aid: Disposable hearing aids were first approved and sold in volumes in 2000. They come in a fixed number of different configurations and last for about a month after which you must order another one if you choose. They typically are for mild/moderate losses and provide a flexibility which suits some situations. Disposable aids do not require a major investment up-front (though long term costs are probably comparable with non-disposable aids). They can be replaced through the mail (after the initial fitting by an audiologist). They may be suitable as temporary replacements or backups on trips. They do not normally contain a telecoil. They do have a limited fitting range both acoustically and physically, so they may not be suitable for everyone.

Door Knocker: A doorknocker is an alerting device that transmits a signal to a flashing light or vibrator so that someone with a hearing loss knows that someone is at the door. Of course, a door knocker can also be set-up to recognize that the doorbell is ringing.

Dual line VCO: Dual line VCO is a special variation of Voice Carry Over (using Relay) that allows someone with two phone lines to not only see the text that the relay operator types, but to also hear what the other party has said. North Carolina Relay supports dual line VCO. To access, you need to give the relay operator the second number to use, and the operator will dial you back on the second line and send the sound over one line and the text over the other line. See also VCO.

ENG - Electronystagmography: A test that an audiologist can use to measure a patient's vestibular or balance function.

ENT - Ear Nose and Throat: A doctor who specializes in problems of the ear, nose and throat

FM - Frequency Modulation: A means of transmitting a signal via radio waves where the frequency (as opposed to its amplitude)of the wave is modulated (changed in synchronization with the sound signal). It's the method used for FM radio broadcasting. Some assistive listening devices, ALDs, and some assistive listening systems, use FM to transmit the signal representing sound from a transmitter to a receiver. Many movie theaters now transmit the soundtrack of the movie in a low powered FM signal throughout the theater. The theater will loan hard of hearing people a special receiver they can use to receive that FM signal and therefore to hear better. You can buy personal FM systems that you can use at home, in restuarants or in the car to hear someone you are with better. Now, even some hearing aids can receive FM without a separate receiver. There is even a special frequency range that is assigned for use by assistive listening systems. FM has advantages and disadvantages -- there is an alternative transmission method , IR, that uses infrared light to transmit the signal.

HoH - Hard of Hearing: Hard of hearing refers to someone who doesn't hear well. This may be because they were born with a hearing loss or they may have lost some or all of their hearing later in life. Many hard of hearing people don't know that they have a hearing loss. Some simply deny it, even though they may know that their hearing is diminished. Some people who are completely deaf may consider themselves hard of hearing. In all, nearly 10% of all people have some level of hearing loss. Over your lifetime, there is a much higher probability you will lose some of your hearing. While many older people do experience some loss of hearing, hearing loss is not a problem for just older people ... many babies are born with hearing loss and many children and young adults have hearing problems. Until recently, almost nothing could be done to help someone who had a hearing loss, but now there are many things that can help. Everyone with a hearing loss should consider joining SHHH.

Hearing Aid Compatible: Most non-portable Telephones sold in the United States are now "hearing aid compatible". This means that the telephone speaker in the earpiece not only outputs the sound coming in, but it also outputs a magnetic signal representing the sound that some hearing aids can receive and amplify. A person with a hearing aid can only take advantage of this magnetic signal if their hearing aid is equipped with a T-switch (also known as a telecoil). All early telephones were automatically hearing aid compatible, because they used magnets to drive the speaker in the earpiece. Telephones built a few years ago were probably not hearing aid compatible, because they frequently didn't use magnets to drive their speakers. A hearing aid compatible telephone and a T-switch on your hearing aid may dramatically improve your ability to hear on the telephone. Shop carefully, however, since the strength and effectiveness of hearing aid compatible phones and of T-switches varies greatly. If you have more than a minor hearing loss, you may want to check out the several hearing aid compatible telephones designed especially for hard of hearing people.

Hearing Impaired: A technically accurate description of someone who is hard of hearing or who has no hearing ... however, many Deaf, hard of hearing and late deafened people prefer not to be called impaired. They don't want to be primarily defined by their lack of (or poor) hearing. While it's true that their hearing is not perfect, that shouldn't make them impaired as people. Most would prefer to be called Deaf, hard of hearing or deaf when the need arises to refer to their hearing status, but not as a primary way to identify them as people (where their hearing status is not significant).

Implantable Hearing Aid: Starting in 2000, an implantable hearing aid is approved for public sale. The aid includes a small electronic coil that is connected to one of the bones of the middle ear. The sound is picked up by a microphone and processor that is placed behind the ear. The signal is transmitted through the skin to another device implanted in the mastoid bone. The inner device is attached by tiny wire to the coil in the middle ear. That coil vibrates with the signal and thus transmits the amplified signal to the middle ear bones. The device relies on the the cochlea and hearing nerve functions to carry the amplified sound from the middle ear. The device is not advertised for more severe losses. Cost is quite high (estimate $15000). Advertised benefits include improved comfort and more natural hearing since nothing is in the ear canal.

Hybrid Hearing Aid: A hybrid hearing aid uses digital processing for some of its functions (like programmability), but it uses analog technology to handle the sound processing.

IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: A US federal law that requires certain certain educational standards and accommodation of children with disabilities including children with hearing loss. For more information, see IDEA.

IEP - Individualized Education Program: Although not directly related to hearing loss, IEPs are of interest because they used to define the specific educational needs of individual children. For children with disabilities, the IEP is required by law. An IEP team including professionals from the school system (in cooperation with the child's parents) writes the IEP for each child.
inner ear The inner ear includes the cochlea, the semi-circular canals and the auditory nerve. Most hearing loss is a result of some problem with the cochlea or the auditory nerve.

IR - Infrared: Infrared light is used to transmit information between a transmitter and a receiver. You use IR whenever you use the clicker on you TV. IR is also oneof the ways that Assistive Listening Devices ALDs or Assistive Listening Systems ALSs transmit a signal that represents sound. IR has several advantages and disadvantages when compared to FM. IR is only "line of sight", while FM can go right through walls. FM must use different frequencies to transmit different signals in the same vacinity (like in multiplex movie theaters), while IR won't interfer between adjacent theater signals. IR doesn't require different frequencies, so any IR receiver will work with any transmitter. However, IR can be blocked, if something gets in the way of the "line of sight" between the transmitter and the receiver. You can put an FM receiver in your pocket and it will still work, but you can't do that with an IR receiver. IR receivers won't work as well or at all out of doors in daylight. IR doesn't have any problem with radio frequency interference, which can be a major problem for FM. IR is not intrinsically better or worse than FM as a transmission medium for signals representing sound -- you have to choose the right tool for the job.

ITC - An In-The-Canal hearing aid: These aids are typically flesh colored and fit mostly in the ear canal. ITC aids are larger and more visible than CIC aids but generally are smaller and less visible than ITE aids, but they generally do not have as many features or as much power as the larger aids.

ITE - An In-The-Ear hearing aid: These aids are typically flesh colored and fill the outer part of the ear canal. ITE aids are larger and more visible than CIC aids. ITE aids generally do not have as many features or as much power as BTE aids.

Lip Reading: Lip reading means attempting to follow a conversation by watching the shape and movement of the sounds being made on the lips. Lip reading is more properly known as speech reading.

Meniere's Syndrom: A condition that can result in fluctuating hearing and dizziness.

Middle Ear: The middle ear extends from the ear drum across the upper extent of the eustation tube (drains into the back of the throat) to the round window of the cochlea. Crossing that gap are the three smallest bones in your body, whose job it is to carry and amplify the vibrations of the ear drum to the cochlea. Those bones are commonly known as the hammer, anvil and stirrup, since they resemble those items. Some cases of hearing loss are called "conductive" because the sound is not detected by the ear drum or properly conducted across the middle ear. Many times such hearing losses can be corrected, now.

Neckloop: A neckloop is a necklace-size loop of wire that can be plugged into an ALD or ALS receiver, a radio, TV, and some telephones. It is then worn around the neck of someone who has a hearing aid with a T-Switch (see Telecoil). The neckloop generates a weak magnet signal that can be "heard" by the telecoil and amplified by the hearing aid. A neckloop and T-Switch are the interface of choice of many hearing aid users. See also Silhouette and DAI, other hearing aid input options.

NF2 - Neurofibromatosis/2: A genetic condition that usually causes acoustic neuromas to form on both hearing nerves. Acoustic neuromas (more properly called "vestibular schwanomas") are benign, usually slow growing tumors that grow on the covering of the acoustic nerves. They normally cause a high frequency hearing loss that progresses over time and can result in virtual deafness. The tumors can be surgically removed or treated with radiation. NF2 is an extremely rare condition which is estimated to affects fewer than 1 in 40,000 people. Although the condition is genetic, about 50% of the cases are not inherited from one's parents, but are spontaneous. Although NF2 usually results in acoustic neuromas, most people with an acoustic neuroma only have one tumor and do not have NF2.

Otolaryngologist: A doctor who is a specialist in problems related to the ear, hearing and related concerns.

Ototoxic: A medicine that can temporarily or permanently damage your hearing.

Outer Ear: The outer ear consists of the part you can see and the canal that leads to the ear drum.

Phone Flasher: A phone flasher causes one or more lights to flash when the phone rings. Many hard of hearing people cannot hear the phone ring, but can (with amplification) hear on the phone. A phone flasher can let them know that the phone is ringing. Some phone flashers have their own light that they flash, and some flash an existing lamp in the house. Some have additional features like an ability to flash distinctive patterns to indicate which phone is ringing or an ability to flash several lights in different rooms.

Programmable Aid: Originally, hearing aids were all analog and not very adjustable. You had to buy one that was specifically made for to fit your loss and if your hearing changed, then you had to buy another one with different characteristics. Now, many newer hearing aids can be programmed to better fit a particular hearing loss and adjusted over a much larger range when your hearing changes. Some have the ability to store several programs ... one for each of several conditions, such as quiet conversation, noisy meetings, etc. The user can then simply switch to the program that helps them best in each situation. Although the word "programmable" hearing aid sounds like a computer, many programmable aids are still analog amplifiers with programmable features ... these are sometimes called hybrid aids. Some of the latest programmable aids are actually more like little digital computers in both programming functions and sound processing functions. An audiologist helps the person choose the best programming and loads it into their aid from a desktop computer.

Recruitment: Recruitment refers to the compression of the range of sound volumes between the lowest volume you can hear to the loudest volume you can hear without discomfort. People with normal hearing can hear a very broad range of volumes from very faint sounds to extremely loud sounds. For many hard of hearing people this range of volumes becomes much less broad. Increasing the volume of the softest sound they can hear only a little bit can make the sound uncomfortably loud. This is one reason you might hear a hard of hearing person say (somewhat paradoxically) that they can't stand the noise or their hearing aid makes things too loud.

Relay: A relay service (now available throughout the US) provides telephone operators that can act as a "go between" on any phone call where one person cannot hear. The person who cannot hear uses a TTY to communicate with the relay operator, who then reads the words to the hearing person in the conversation. Then when the hearing person has something to say, the relay operator types it so that the person with the TTY can read what the hearing person said. Relay services are free to the end users. Relay calls are confidential; it's a condition of employment that relay operators cannot reveal the contents of any phone call they service. Hard of Hearing people, who can generally speak but not hear well, can use a special relay feature called "voice carryover" (See VCO).

Semi-circular Canals: The primary sense organs for balance. There is one set associated with each cochlea. Each set consists of three small fluid filled loops, at right angles to each other. Both the position and motion of your head can be detected by these organs, and the signals are sent to the brain for sorting out what's up ... literally. Our balance function is sometimes called the vestibular function. Balance problems can sometimes be felt as a feeling of dizziness called vertigo.

SHHH Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc.: SHHH and its members are catalysts that make mainstream society more accessible to people who are hard of hearing. We strive to improve the quality of hard of hearing people's lives through education, advocacy and self help.

Silhouette: A silhouette is a hook shaped, thin piece of plastic with a small loop of wire in it. The loop of wire is attached to a cord which has a mini-plug on the end of it. The silhouette is hung over the ear and lays beside a behind the ear (See BTE) hearing aid. The silohette is plugged into an ALD, ALS, radio, TV or Telephone and provides a magnetic signal to the telecoil (See T-Switch) of the hearing aid. Many hearing aid users prefer a silhouette to a neck loop because it is less affected by head movements than is a neckloop.

Speech Reading: The proper term for what is more commonly known as "lip reading". Almost everyone supplements what they hear with what they see. Hard of hearing, deaf and Deaf people just speech read more than most. If you look very closely and train yourself, you can see a lot of the sounds by the shape and movement of the tongue, and lips. Still, only about 30% of the sounds we make when we talk are accurately recogninzable from speech reading. Many sounds look the same "on the lips", but sound quite different ... for example, the words "bat" and "pat". Someone relying on lipreading can usually only follow a conversation by adding help from knowing the context and guessing. Even hearing people don't always hear every word, so everyone relies a little on speech reading and context from time to time.

Stapedectomy: A surgical procedure that can repair some types of damage to the bones in the middle ear. Problems with these bones can cause what is know as a conductive hearing loss.

Stenographic Transcription: Use of a stenotype machine (as used by a court reporter) to transcribe everything that is said. Instead of (or in addition to) producing a paper tape modern stenotype machines are hooked up to a computer with special software that can translate the language of the machine to English and display it in real-time on a computer screen, television or via an overhead projector for all to read. This is usually an excellent way for deaf or hard of hearing people to "hear" what is being said in a meeting. Some SHHH local meetings are supported by volunteers who provide stenographic transcription. See also CAN and CART.

T-Switch - Telecoil: An optional, alternative input source on some hearing aids ... see Telecoil

TDD: TDD stands for Telecommunication Device for the Deaf. It is a name invented to describe the TTY. Deaf people, who were the primary users of TTYs, were not happy being told to call their TTY a TDD. TTYs are also used by many hard of hearing people when they can no longer hear well on a phone. You still may find the term TDD used sometimes, but the proper name is TTY (See TTY).

Telecoil: A Telecoil (sometimes called a T-Switch) is a feature of some hearing aids that allows the aid to "hear" magnetic signals instead of (or in addition to) the normal audio input. This is a wonderful feature that can help trememdously. It allows you to hear an audio signal that is transmitted magnetically (instead of via sound). Many telephones and ALDs can output a magnetic signal which hearing aids with a telecoil can "hear". One of the great things about using the telecoil as an input instead of the microphone is that the telecoil only "hears" the sound near the transmitting microphone ... and the hearing aid microphone can be turned off so background noise near the listner is not picked up. Many churches, theaters, and auditoriums have ALSs that you can hear better via your telecoil, if your hearing aid has one. If you are still not convinced, SHHH National has produced a wonderful video on the benefits of the Telecoil. Yopu can get a copy of the video through the SHHH Bookstore.

Telephone Amplifier: A telephone amplifier can usually be added to telephones that don't have one built in. Some simply fit over the ear piece and are powered by a small battery. These can be convenient and portable, but they come in all levels of quality ... some so poor as to be essentially useless. If you need a good portable strap-on amplifier, be sure to buy one of top quality. Other styles can be inserted "in-line" between the phone and the handset. Some of the adaptors also provide a stronger magnetic signal so that a telecoil can better pick up the signal. Some also provide not only increased volume, but a way to boost the high frequencies more than lower frequencies. Some come with a miniplug you can use with a neckloop or a silhouette.

Tinnitus: Tinnitus is typically referred to as a "ringing in the ears", but it can mean any sound you can hear that doesn't come from air vibrations reaching your ear drums. A lot of people with hearing loss experience some tinnitus. Exposure to loud noise can cause even people with normal hearing to hear a ringing in their ears. Tinnitus can be caused by many of the same problems that cause hearing loss, so it can be a symptom of hearing loss. Some drugs can cause tinnitus. The sound you hear can vary. It can be a ringing, a whooshing, a pinging or other sound. It can be temporary, intermittent or constant. If you can hear such sounds that are not really there, then you should see an ENT or Otolaryngologist to have them check it out. There are sometimes things that can be done to eliminate or lessen the effects of tinnitus, but other times you may just have to learn to live with it.

Tactile Aid: A "hearing" aid that translates sound into vibrations that can help someone who is completely deaf "hear" some information about the sound by feeling it. Tactile aids cannot help you hear words, but can (with practice) help you better understand what is being said by supplementing your speechreading efforts. Tactile aids can also detect "environmental sounds" like sirens, horns, and fire alarms and some can even help you determine which sound it is through a distinctive vibration.


TTY: A device like a typewriter that has a small readout. The device connects to a phone line and can be used to send text over the phone lines. Someone who cannot hear can then use the phone by typing what they want to say and reading what the other party says. A person using a TTY can converse directly over the phone line with anyone else with a TTY (and in some cases with someone who have a computer), and a person using a TTY can converse with anyone via Relay. Most TTYs use Baudot and can only connect directly to another TTY or to any phone via Relay. Some TTYs can also use ASCII, so they can also connect to a computer. See also: TDD, and Relay)

VCO - Voice Carry Over: An option of the relay service (See Relay) that allows a person (who can speak but not hear), to talk on the phone with someone who can hear. A VCO relay operator, acting between the two communicating parties, will type what the hearing person says so that the other person can read it on their TTY or computer. With VCO, the person who cannot hear does not have to type their message, but can speak it directly. VCO can make a relay call much more convenient for hard of hearing people, since only one side of the conversation has to be typed and that is done by the relay operator. See also Dual Line VCO.

Vertigo: A famous movie by Alfred Hitchcock ... and a term for a feeling of dizziness ... dizziness is a common symptom with some forms of hearing loss. The cochlea is closely connected with the semi-circular canals, which are the primary sense organ for balance information. Both are fluid filled cavities that sense sound or which way is up (respectively). The nerves coming from these two sensors share a common pathway to the base of the brain through the skull. So, if you are hard of hearing and you sometimes feel dizzy, there may be a connection.

Vestibular: Having to do with balance. Our vestibular function is provided by two sense organs, one just behind each coclhea. These sense organs are commonly called semi-circular canals. They are capable of determining (somewhat like a gyroscope, though they don't spin) not only which way is up, but whether you are accelerating in various directions. They send their signals to the brain via nerve bundles that run together with the hearing nerve for most of the way. Many people with hearing loss also experience vestibular or balance problems and sometimes have a feeling known as "vertigo".

Vestibular Schwanoma: Sometimes called "acoustic neuromas", these benign tumors grow in the covering of the acoustic nerve and can cause hearing loss and possible deafness in the affected ear. Vestibular schwanomas are fairly rare (some estimates suggest fewer than 1 in 4,000) and usually only affect one ear. All single ear vestibular schwanomas are believed to be non-genetic. Individuals who have vestibular schwanomas on both hearing nerves are believed to have a quite different condition known as NF2, which is genetic and is extremely rare (some estimates suggest fewer than 1 in 40,000).

Vibrator: A personal signaling device that can be used to alert a hard of hearing person that one or more events occurred. An event could be the phone ringing, someone knocking at the door, a door bell ringing, a siren, a fire alarm, or any other event which could be detected. Some vibrators have multiple channels that a central transmitter can use to tell the hard of hearing person (via distinctive vibration pattern or via multiple vibration transducers) which event has occurred. Of course, the transmitter must be programmed or wired to know when the events have occurred.