In the UK, there are 10-11 million people who are deaf or have a hearing loss, that is 1 in every 6 people! Over 50,000 of these are children and young people. It is estimated that by 2035 there will be 15.6 million people in the UK with hearing loss.  

Due to ableism or rather audism (discrimination against individuals who are deaf or have a hearing loss), deaf people experience inequalities in every aspect of society including education, health & social care, employment, and many more. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed and deepened these existing inequalities due to the lack of accessible public health information and face masks.

As Occupational Therapists, we are uniquely positioned to provide support for deaf people or people with a hearing loss to live their best lives. So as part of deaf awareness month, I would like to invite you all to a discussion where we can explore the barriers and challenges experienced by the hearing loss community and what we can do to support them.  

1. What is your understanding of and experiences of working with patients who are deaf or have hearing loss?  
2. What are the barriers and challenges that deaf people or people with hearing loss face? 
3. What are the barriers and challenges for Occupational Therapists in communicating with and supporting deaf people or people with a hearing loss? 
4. What role can occupational therapists play in tackling audism and how can we ensure our services are accessible to anyone with a hearing loss?  

Watch out for pop-up polls and random ‘Did you know?’ facts about the deaf and hearing loss community.

POST CHAT

Host:  @SusanGriffiths5

Support on OTalk Account: Rachel @OT_rach

Evidence your CPD. If you joined in this chat you can download the below transcript as evidence for your CPD, but remember the HCPC are interested in what you have learnt.  So why not complete one of our reflection logs to evidence your learning?

Reflection logs

HCPC Standards for CPD.

• Maintain a continuous, up-to-date and accurate record of their CPD activities.
• Demonstrate that their CPD activities are a mixture of learning activities relevant to current or future practice.
• Seek to ensure that their CPD has contributed to the quality of their practice and service delivery.
• Seek to ensure that their CPD benefits the service user.
• Upon request, present a written profile (which must be their own work and supported by evidence) explaining how they have met the Standards for CPD.