We investigated the current state of communication of 111 persons with hearing impairment by conducting a questionnaire survey. The subjects were 15 to 46 years old and had been educated by the aural-oral method. Their hearing loss in childhood was under 90 dBHL. Their current mean of better ear hearing loss was 80.1 dBHL, SD=19.9. By examining their use of communication methods according to communication partner, speech perception in a person-to-person conversation under both silent and noisy conditions, their use of a compensator of communication in a business meeting and school lecture, communication strategies, and use of communication methods in tele-communication, the study yielded the following results.
1) When speaking with others, the subjects made use of their voice to both hearing persons and persons with hearing impairment.
2) The subjects whose better ear hearing loss was over 80 dBHL had difficulties of speech perception under specific conditions such as noisy locations and group communication.
These results suggest that individuals who were educated by the aural-oral method and whose better ear hearing loss was under 90 dBHL in childhood make use primarily of their voice after graduating junior high school.
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