Can All Deaf People Benefit From Hearing Aids?

Most people who were born deaf choose to forgo hearing aids because they are happy without them, but some find them helpful for communication. While they cannot help everyone, some members of the deaf community are good candidates to benefit from a hearing aid.

Residual Hearing

• Residual hearing refers to the aural capability a person still possesses. Many deaf individuals have some residual hearing, which can be amplified by a hearing aid.

Function of a Hearing Aid

• A hearing aid functions by amplifying sound vibrations to the ear's hair cells, which then translate them into neural signals for the brain to interpret.

Frequencies

• Some deafness specifically affects the ability to hear the frequency of a pitch. Accordingly, some deaf individuals may be able to use a hearing aid to amplify frequencies to different levels.

Low Pitches

• Hearing aids are most helpful with low pitches, as most deaf individuals with residual hearing are able to hear low pitches better than high pitches. Consequently, they typically can hear male voices better than female voices.

Hearing Loss

• Hearing aids are most helpful to those who have recently suffered a partial loss of hearing due to aging, disease or injury.