hearing loss and the criminal justice system - Australian Indigenous ...

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Senate Inquiry March 2010_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________HEARING PROBLEMS AND INDIGENOUSEDUCATIONIndigenous education has not adequately considered theendemic Conductive Hearing Loss among Indigenousstudents, or the presence of Auditory ProcessingProblems (listening problems), as factors that affectThis area is most oftenmarginalised as a special educationissue rather than being treated as amainstream Indigenous educationissue.Indigenous children’s school behaviour and educational outcomes. Consequently, this areais most often marginalised as a Special Education issue rather than being treated as amainstream Indigenous education issue. Special Education, where service delivery usuallyassumes individual support to a small number of students, is not a model that can cope withthe implications of the widespread prevalence of Conductive Hearing Loss amongIndigenous people.School learning is based on a high level of verbal input from the teacher, and the amountand complexity of this verbal input increases as a child progresses though the grades. Harris(1990) pointed out that, as an Indigenous child moves through school, there are increasingdemands on their ability to learn through verbal interaction. Conductive Hearing Loss mayhave less impact on progression through early grades, but may act to limit achievement in,and beyond, upper primary levels when visual compensation becomes less effective. This issupported by work (Howard, 2004) which found a significant relationship betweenConductive Hearing Loss and lower achievement amongst Indigenous children in upperprimary grades, but not in early childhood classes.English language and literacy is central in educational achievement in upper primary gradesand beyond. There are indications that hearing loss impacts on the acquisition of literacyskills and consequently, on educational outcomes. Difficulties with the acquisition ofliteracy skills may be linked to difficulty in discriminating, blending and sequencing sounds,resulting in problems with the phonic aspects of reading, a limited understanding and use ofgrammar, misinterpretation of questions, and difficulty with verbal expression (Webster,1983). Limited awareness of the rules of oral language may, in turn, be detrimental to thedevelopment of written language (Menyuk, 1980). The impact of ear disease on literacywas demonstrated in a longitudinal study by Silva, Chalmers and Stewart (1986) whichfound that, when compared with a control group, Indigenous children who experienced bilateralotitis media, had reading scores that were significantly and consistently depressed .Diminished educationalopportunities result for nonhearingimpaired children when ahigh proportion of their class peersare affected by Conductive HearingLoss ... the demands on teachertime, either in providingindividualised help or managingdisruptive behaviour, limited theability of other students to accesssupport from the teacher.A further concern in Indigenous classrooms is thepossible combined effect of having a high proportionof the class group who are affected by ConductiveHearing Loss. The only formal research in this areasuggested that diminished educational opportunitiesresult for non‐hearing impaired children when a highproportion of their class peers are affected byConductive Hearing Loss (Howard, 1990). This studydescribed how the demands on teacher time, eitherin providing individualised help or managingdisruptive behaviour, limited the ability of otherstudents to access support from the teacher._________________________________________________________________________________________________________________40 Phoenix Consulting
Senate Inquiry March 2010_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________WHY THE ADVERSE OUTCOMES OF CONDUCTIVE HEARING LOSSREMAINS AN INVISIBLE, NEGLECTED ISSUECurrent services for hearing impaired children generally ignore the needs of the manychildren with mild to moderate hearing loss. The reasons for this are diverse. Thedifficulties of those with more severe levels of permanent Conductive Hearing Loss (thosewho are deaf/Deaf) are obvious. In contrast, those who have less hearing impairment, whoare hard‐of‐hearing, often attempt to simply ‘get by’ in a hearing world, or are evenunaware of their disability. It is common for adults with mild to moderate ConductiveHearing Loss to not disclose to others that they have a loss, despite often experiencingsignificant communication problems (Stika, 2000).The vast majority of children with hearing loss that teachers will encounter are those with amild to moderate Conductive Hearing Loss, although usually the teachers will be unawarewhich children have such a hearing loss. This fluctuating Conductive Hearing Loss amongchildren is often not identified unless there are school screening programs, which, allaround Australia, are being carried out less often. The invisibility of the problem makes itdifficult to gain the attention of policy makers. The current vogue of market driveneducational policy making also compounds this.Connell (1993) makes an important point abouteducational policy being driven by a marketideology. That is, influential sectors of thecommunity drive the policy agenda ofgovernments. Market driven policy empowersthe advantaged. It acts to consolidate themarginalisation of those who have low ‘marketpower’ because of low numbers or low resourceswhich limit the opportunity to self‐advocate.This means that Indigenous people, who in theIndigenous people who in the pasthave been dispossessed andoppressed at the hands of aninterventionist state bent onassimilation, are now abandonedby a newly regretful state to theuntender mercies of market drivenpolicy.past have been dispossessed and oppressed at the hands of an interventionist state bent onassimilation, are now abandoned, by a newly regretful state, to the untender mercies ofmarket driven policy.Indigenous Conductive Hearing Loss is vulnerable to being neglected as a policy priority as itis often an invisible impairment that most affects those sections of the community with theleast power to advocate on their own behalf.Multiple other areas ofdisadvantage … exacerbate theadverse outcomes from hearingloss.The multiple other areas of disadvantage that areexperienced by Indigenous people and are known toexacerbate the adverse outcomes from ConductiveHearing Loss, act together to create a cocktail ofdisadvantage.The training undergone by audiologists and those who specialise in teaching the hearingimpaired, provides very little information on, or support strategies for, the many childrenwho experience inconsistent mild to moderate Conductive Hearing Loss during their schoolyears. This results in difficulties in developing effective educational programs for childrenwith this type of hearing loss._________________________________________________________________________________________________________________41 Phoenix Consulting
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