Centre offers solutions for the hearing-impaired
Young adults who are deaf or hard of hearing will receive appropriate coping strategies and life skills when they go out into the world, thanks to a new program funded in part by the Victoria Foundation.
The Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre has been providing solutions for those with hearing impairment since a group of parents got together to lay the groundwork of the organization in 1969. The organization sees more than 1,000 clients a year, offering direct as well as referral services to families and individuals.
While children who are deaf or hard of hearing have programs in place to help them develop communication skills in their youth, these resources did not adequately prepare them for when they were ready to strike out on their own.
The Youth Transition Services program, aimed at youth 15 to 20 years old, will be a long-term service to help students as they leave the support systems of their local school. It will provide continued education, coping strategies and life skills as they transition into the adult world.
“Every year we would hear of the challenges young adults face when they leave school,” said Denise Robertson, executive director for the Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Association, which runs the centre. “It can be overwhelming for the youth, typically already feeling isolated because of hearing loss, as they face university, a job or living on their own. Many are just not ready.”
The agency has identified as many as 120 youth who could use the program.
Services for youth are on the rise due to an increased prevalence of hearing loss in that age group.
“We live in a noisy world,” said Robertson, who has led the organization for three years. “We are now seeing noise-induced hearing loss earlier in life. Youth struggle more with the challenge because hearing loss is seen as something which only affects the old.
“While we used to typically see people in their 60s, we are now seeing them in the 40s and 50s. The latest data we have, from 2005, show 25 per cent of adults 18 to 24 years old have some form of hearing loss.”
She said the program will give the young adults in transition the tools needed to make education, career and lifestyle choices. The program will help families of the youth, 90 per cent of whom have no hearing impairment, with understanding and supporting their children in their journey to full independence.
Other facets of the program include building peer and community supports, including the introduction of role models, to help reduce the potential for isolation and give them the best chance for independence.
“The program will be a critical piece in the overall suite of services we provide.”
For more information, go to idhhc.ca.