Understanding Hearing Impairments

Hearing impairment is estimated to be the most common disabling condition worldwide. Two thirds of people with hearing impairment worldwide live in developing countries, where 2000 infants with hearing impairment are born daily. In fact, according to World Health Organization (WHO) hearing loss seems to be more common in sub-Saharan Africa than in richer parts of the world. According to Banda, Powis, Mokoka, Mmapetla, Westmoreland, David, and Steenhoff, little is known about the magnitude of hearing impairment among children in Botswana. They further state that given that at least two newborns are born deaf for every 1000 live births in developing countries; and using Botswana's 2012 birth cohort of 47,700 live births, at least 96 newborns would be expected to be born deaf each year in Botswana. This chapter will discuss the definition, causes, prevalence, the conceptualizing deafness, the cultural and the medical view of deafness, the impact of hearing loss on the deaf or hard of hearing learners, and deaf education in Botswana.