INCLUSIVE HEALTH

We believe that good health and wellbeing is a fundamental human right. However, people who are Deaf and have hearing loss face significant challenges in communication with health providers and there are also significant gaps in global health knowledge for Deaf people.

Hearing loss may result from genetic causes, complications at birth, certain infectious diseases, chronic ear infections, the use of particular drugs, exposure to excessive noise, and ageing. A lack of inclusive healthcare can create a barrier to people, who are Deaf or hard of hearing, accessing the support they need.

People with hearing loss benefit from early identification; use of hearing aids, cochlear implants and other assistive devices; captioning and sign language; and other forms of educational and social support.

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