Paper: Analysis of Experiences/Expressions of Hearing Loss

Paper: Analysis of Experiences/Expressions of Hearing
Loss
In
your paper you will discuss your own experiences wearing earplugs for a day.
You will then comparatively analyze this experience with that of a typical day
in your life. You must write on this topic; papers written on other topics will receive a grade of 0 with no
opportunity to make up the assignment.

You
will be required to obtain a set of foam earplugs. You are allowed to purchase
these foam earplugs from any store in which they are sold, or you may obtain
one free pair from the course instructor.
You should only need one pair to complete the assignment. For instructions on proper insertion and
removal of foam earplugs please visit.associatedcontent.com/article/2568137/how_to_properly_insert_foam_ear_plugs.html”>http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2568137/how_to_properly_insert_foam_ear_plugs.html

Always wash
your hands before inserting or removing earplugs. If earplugs irritate or hurt your ears remove
them.

You
will be required to wear these earplugs for 8 hours, or half a day (if they
irritate your ears after prolonged use, take them out and give your ears a
rest. It is ok if you do not wear them
for 8 consecutive hours so long as you wear them for the full 8 hours). In order to get the most out of this
exercise, please do not wear earplugs at night while you are asleep; you will
not have enough of an experience to write a quality paper.

***DO NOT wear ear plugs while crossing the street,
driving or in any other situation in which doing so may put you in danger or
make you feel endangered.***

Content:
Your
paper is an extension of the foundation of the course content in that it will
address the social/emotional aspects of hearing loss and analyze the impact of
communication differences on the individual as well as family and other social
relationships.

The
paper should be 3-5 pages, double-spaced, in no larger than 12 point Times New
Roman font using 1 inch margins. The cover page, if you decide to include
one, does not count towards the overall length. You do not need a references
page.

While
you are wearing the earplugs, attempt to do things as you would normally
do. Record your activities, paying close
attention to the following content areas:

Changes in your behavior compared to when
you are not wearing earplugs

Does your behavior change at
all? If so, how?
Are you as active as you
typically would be? More active? Less active?
Are you as engaged in activities
as you typically would be? More engaged? Less engaged?
How did you attempt to resolve the
problems you were having (besides removing the earplugs). Were you successful?
How did the hearing loss impact you
personally?

Changes in the way others treat you

Are others willing to
accommodate your needs or no?
Are they more or less likely to
engage you in conversation?
How does their communication
with you change?
Do you feel like others
understand the difficulties you may be encountering?

Your emotional response/reaction to
challenges you face with the earplugs in

Describe how you feel doing your
everyday activities with the earplugs in
Do you find yourself expressing
one emotion more than others? What emotion is that?
Is there a change in how you
view yourself? Is it a negative or positive change?
If you were never able to remove the
earplugs, could you see yourself preferring to spend your time around others
who can relate to your experiences? Why or why not?

The specific difficulties you face due to
the earplugs

Describe the specific situations you were
in. Were they noisy or quiet? Was communication important?
How do communication difficulties affect
your daily routine?
Do some listening situations
give you more problems than others?

Please incorporate information and concepts
discussed in class in your paper.
What type of hearing loss does this simulate? What degree? Do you
expect to have issues with loudness only or do you expect sounds to be
incoherently distorted? What are
some examples of real-life conditions that could cause this type of
hearing loss? What is the impact of
hearing loss on society? Why is
hearing loss awareness so important?