The DRM WebWatcher: Deafness and Hearing Impairments

	The DRM WebWatcher
	Deafness and Hearing Impairments - General
	Updated 9/2006
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The web is filled with great resources for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. This page describes some of our favorite places to start.

About Deafness/Hard of Hearing: One of the best of the "about.com" guides, this site includes feature articles, links, bulletin boards, chat, and more. Subtopics range from HIV/AIDS, holocaust and infant hearing to poetry and summer camps.

Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf (AG Bell): AG Bell is a membership organization for parents and professionals serving children who are deaf and hard of hearing. Its focus is on the auditory approach. Its website contains information about the organization and links.

American Academy of Audiology: The website of this professional organization includes a "find an audiologist" directory and several useful consumer fact sheets.

American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery: Geared primarily for members, the website of this professional organization includes a "find an otolaryngologist" directory and an online patient information center.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA): The website of a professional association for audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language and hearing scientists, ASHA offers a wide array of information for consumers, a listing of certified audiologists and speech-language pathologists by state, information about self-help groups and summer programs for children or adults with communication disorders, and more.

Auditory-Verbal International (AVI): AVI is a membership organization that focuses on the auditory-verbal approach. Its principal objective is "to promote listening and speaking as a way of life for children who are deaf or hard of hearing." Its website contains information about the organization and links.

Better Hearing Institute's Hearing Help-On-Line: Information about hearing loss, tinnitus, nerve deafness, statistics, hearing aids, and related subjects.

Deaf Queer Resource Center: This site features a wealth of information here for deaf lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community. The organizational structure lacks consistency; we suggest using the navigational map.

The Deaf Resource Library: Though lacking the authority of some of the major organizations, Karen Nakamura's personal website, billed as "an online collection of reference material and links intended to educate and inform people about Deaf cultures in Japan and the United States," is packed with useful information and links. Topics include organizations and clubs, deaf culture, schools and universities, linguistics, children, interpreting, captioning, legal rights, mailing lists, home pages of members of the deaf community, deaf owned businesses, and much more.

Federal Relay Service: Includes the U.S. Government TDD/TTY Directory and information about contacting federal agencies that don't have direct TTY lines.

Gallaudet University: The home page of the world's only university for deaf and hard of hearing students.

Hearing Exchange: "An online community for the exchange of ideas and information on hearing loss," the Hearing Exchange features good coverage of current news relating to adults and children who are deaf or hard of hearing, an "ask the experts" section, message boards, a newsletter, and more. The nicely designed website was developed by a women with a hearing impairment, and the orientation seems to be primarily oral. Visitors should be alert to potential conflicts of interest resulting from the advertisements.

Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center: The Center (formerly the National Information Center on Deafness, or NICD) is a centralized source of information about deafness and hearing loss. Its website features online editions of some of its excellent publications, including lists of organizations serving people who are deaf and hard of hearing, bibliographies, and other resource materials.

National Association of the Deaf: Includes information about the organization, feature articles from The NAD Broadcaster, and more. Check the "Information Center" for answers to frequently asked questions such as "What is Wrong with the Use of these Terms: 'Deaf-mute,' 'Deaf and Dumb,' or 'Hearing-Impaired'?" and "How do I Become a Sign Language Interpreter?"

National Cued Speech Association: The National Cued Speech Association is a non-profit membership organization founded in 1982. Cued Speech is a sound-based visual communication system which, in English, uses eight handshapes in four different locations (cues) in combination with the natural mouth movements of speech, to make all the sounds of spoken language look different.

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD): One of the National Institutes of Health, NIDCD supports and conducts research "on the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech and language." Its website includes an excellent directory and many useful publications for consumers, as well as information for researchers and grant-seekers.

Self-Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH): SHHH is a large consumer organization for people who are hard-of-hearing. Its website provides information about the organization and the issues its members are concerned with. SHHH is an excellent source of publications for people who are hard-of-hearing, but alas only a handful of them are reprinted on the website.

Related Subjects: Assistive Technology for People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing; Captioning; Communication Disorders; Deaf-Blindness; Librarians' Connections: Serving Deaf Patrons; Sign Language; Specific impairments (e.g., neurofibromatosis); Specific subjects (e.g., Service Dogs); Resources in your state