Close to 23,000 Australian young people under 26 years of age use a hearing aid or cochlear implant because they have a permanent or long term hearing loss.
People who have a hearing loss may refer to themselves as deaf, hearing impaired or hard of hearing. They may communicate using speech, sign language or a combination of speech and sign.
Children who have a hearing loss need specialist support in their early years and many require ongoing educational support throughout their schooling.
These Speaking from Experience clips feature six young people discussing the impact that having a hearing impairment has had on their lives. It was produced in partnership with Australian Hearing and the Aboriginal Medical Service of Western Sydney.
Produced Nov 2010
