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In many countries across the world education for deaf people is limited and sign languages are undervalued. In this paper we discuss insights from an initiative to support deaf education for young adults in India, Ghana, and Uganda. Reporting here on the work in India, our project used a bilingual approach, with Indian Sign Language as the main means of communication while developing students' English literacy through a multiliteracies pedagogy (Cope, Bill, and Mary Kalantzis, eds. 2000. "Multiliteracies: Literacy Learning and the Design of Social Futures." London: Routledge)?and the use of authentic texts in lessons. Our approach was designed to invite learners' agency and input. Responding to students' engagement with the approach, we encountered their demand for formal grammar teaching and we offer an example of how one of the tutors engaged with this. Illustrated with visual data from the lessons, we discuss two insights from the project: the importance of the students' 'semiotic repertoire'?(Kusters, Annelies, Massimiliano Spotti, Ruth Swanwick, and Elina Tapio. 2017. "Beyond Languages, Beyond Modalities: Transforming the Study of Semiotic Repertoires." "International Journal of Multilingualism" 14 (3): 219-232.)?; and the centrality of an inclusive educational approach that is supportive of students' agency and aspirations for learning.

Sign language is the natural way of communication of speech and hearing-impaired people. Using Indian Sign Language (ISL) interpretation system, hearing impaired people may interact with normal people with the help of Human Computer Interaction (HCI). This paper presents a method for automatic recognition of two-handed signs of Indian Sign language (ISL). The three phases of this work include preprocessing, feature extraction and classification. We trained a BPN with Histogram Oriented Gradient (HOG) features. The trained model is used for testing the real time gestures. The overall accuracy achieved was 89.5% with 5184 input features and 50 hidden neurons. A deep learning approach was also implemented using AlexNet, GoogleNet, VGG-16 and VGG-19 which gave accuracies of 99.11%, 95.84%, 98.42% and 99.11% respectively. MATLAB is used as the simulation platform. The proposed technology is used as a teaching assistant for specially abled persons and has demonstrated an increase in cognitive ability of 60-70% in children. This system demonstrates image processing and machine learning approaches to recognize alphabets from the Indian sign language, which can be used as an ICT (information and communication technology) tool to enhance their cognitive capability.

The main challenges for education of disabled learners are identifying and serving these learners in India and raising the quality of education for them. While inclusion of children with disabilities into mainstream education has been challenging due to various policy constraints and gaps in implementation, the paper discusses how National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), India has designed various educational programmes to achieve the three important principles of education policy viz., access, equity and quality. Apart from it's in-built flexibilities offered by NIOS, wherein learners are provided with due flexibilities and opportunities to learn at their own pace and place to every group of learners through use of Media and ICT support both in academic and evaluation system, NIOS has also developed mechanism of providing learning material in Indian Sign Language at secondary level (10th class) and orienting parents and learners through Indian Sign language dictionary. The paper also raises the debate of importance of advocacy and collaboration with various deaf enabled organisation to promote the education of deaf and hard-of-hearing learners in the country.

Perceptual restoration occurs when the brain restores missing segments from speech under certain conditions. It is investigated in the auditory modality, but minimal evidence has been collected during speechreading tasks. The authors measured perceptual restoration in speechreading by individuals with hearing loss and compared it to perceptual restoration in auditory speech by normally hearing individuals. Visual perceptual restoration for speechreading was measured in 33 individuals with profound hearing loss by blurring the keywords in silent video recordings of a speaker uttering a sentence. Auditory perceptual restoration was measured in 33 normally hearing individuals by distorting the keywords in spoken sentences. It was found that the amount of restoration was similar for speechreading through the visual modality by individuals with hearing loss and speech perception through the auditory modality by normally hearing individuals. These findings may facilitate understanding of speech processing by individuals with hearing loss.

Most FLP research focuses on intrafamily communication (1FLP) and how this is impacted by larger contexts. But what happens when different multilingual families interact intensively on a daily basis? This article analyses language use during a holiday in India in and between four deaf-hearing befriended families, and how this evolved over the twelve days of the trip (4FLP). Three of the four families are our (the authors') own. The family members originate from the UK, Belgium, Denmark and India. All families use more than one language at home (at least one sign language and one spoken language), and all family members are fluent signers. We ask: how does intrafamilial FLP (1FLP) at home inform interfamilial FLP (xFLP) on holiday? And how does interfamilial contact on holiday inform intrafamilial FLP during that same holiday? The data discussed in the article is organised along different multilingual practices, some of them general to multilingual interactions and others specific to multilingual signers: language mixing, switching and learning, language brokering, speaking and signspeaking. The findings reveal rich complexities of interfamilial language practices which inform thinking on FLP and multilingualism.

Parents' involvement is highly needed for ensuring holistic development of their words; however parents can only assist the child when they themselves have adequate knowledge, required skills, and proper awareness regarding various aspects of children's growth and development. To have adequate communication skill among parents, ensuring better language and communication in their words is one of the most significant aspects. Hence, the present study seeks to examine the impact of training programme on developing functional Sign language among parents of students with deafness. Pre-test-post-test experimental design was employed for the study. Samples were selected through convenient sampling. The collected data were analyzed using t-test. Results show statistically significant difference between pre and post test scores of functional Sign language of parents of students with deafness post intervention. However, no significant difference was found out between pre and post test scores of functional Sign language of parents of students with deafness after training programme with reference to their educational status, gender, age, and locality. The findings are presented and discussed as to justify the need for training parents in functional Sign language to develop their communicative skills properly which in turn can ensure better communicative and other allied skills in their words.

This paper reports on an international collaborative project working with deaf learners of English literacy (19-28 years old) in five locations in India: Indore; Vadadora; Comibatore; Pattambi; and Thrissur. Indian Sign Language (ISL) was the language of instruction. The project drew on a social practices view of literacy. Deaf peer tutors were trained in creating lessons using authentic materials: texts collected from students' everyday lives. Tutors and students shared content via an online teaching resource. In the paper, the authors draw on notes from the training, tutor and student data, to clarify the strengths and challenges of this approach. Real literacies were used fruitfully, but authentic texts could be complex and grammar lessons were often unrelated to these texts. This challenged our assumptions about the applicability of the real literacies concept to pedagogy. Nevertheless, the study confirms the value of an approach that privileges ISL, peer tuition and online materials.

For the past six years, All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development (ACR GCD; https://allchildrenreading.org) a partnership of the United States Agency for International Development, World Vision, and the Australian Government, has fostered the development of innovations that can increase reading outcomes for children in developing countries. Applying innovation for literacy and numeracy applications can happen in many ways. Creating resources in languages children express and understand is one way we are seeking to alter their trajectory. Developing practices that increase family and community involvement and engagement in children's learning is another. ACR GCD also believes that utilizing technology to increase childhood literacy can offer new solutions to reach the greatest number of children. In this article, the author describes the impact of ACR GCD in India, the Phillipines, and Morocco and how it has helped optimize language and literacy outcomes for children who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind (DHHDB).

The article furthers the study of urban multilingual (i.e. metrolingual) practices, in particular the study of customer interactions, by a focus on the use of gestures in these practices. The article focuses on fluent deaf signers and hearing non-signers in Mumbai who use gestures to communicate with each other, often combined with mouthing, speaking and/or writing in different languages. The data were gathered through linguistic ethnography in markets, shops, food joints and public transport in Mumbai. Within gesture-based interactions, people with sensorial asymmetries (i.e. deaf vs. hearing) combined the visual-gestural modality and certain features of the auditory-oral modality, and/or switched between modalities. Interlocutors thus orient towards the ongoing interaction and negotiate the constraints and possibilities imposed not only by different modalities but also by different sensorial access to these modalities.

This article presents lessons from touring a show on pain with limited resources and in chronic pain. In 2014, I toured solo deaf-accessible poetry/art show "Eve and Mary Are Having Coffee" in various forms in the UK, Austria, and India. As an Indonesian woman with then-extreme chronic pain and fatigue, herein are lessons learned from harsh difficulties and successes in making a show accessible to some disability cultures, whilst struggling with one's own. Examined are intersections of accessibility, and framing of disabled performers from non-Western backgrounds in Western contexts. Audiovisual media from the tour is included.

Linguistic ideologies that are left unquestioned and unexplored, especially as reflected and produced in marginalized language communities, can contribute to inequality made real in decisions about languages and the people who use them. One of the primary bodies of knowledge guiding international language policy is the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 639-3 Registry of Languages. I explore the impact of international language recognition through a Critical Discourse Analysis of proposed registry change requests related to a specific type of minority language: signed language. I describe key social actors involved in the international discourse of signed language recognition, types of knowledge used to promote distinct signed languages, naming strategies for those distinct entities, and ways that these processes are creating current social reality for signed language users around the world. Ultimately, I argue for deeper exploration of intersecting "deaf" and "sign language" identities, expansion of the "Deaf sign language" language family category, inclusion of online signed texts as "shared literature," adoption of video and other alternative methods of representing preferred language names, and increased sensitivity related to how signing minorities may exist in broader deaf nations.

Despite the fact that Indian Sign Language (ISL) has a significant influence on the native signers in northeastern India, no studies of ISL have yet taken into account the nature of the sign languages in use in this region. This article examines the emergence of both Shillong Sign Language and the Deaf community of Shillong and discusses the development of the Shillong Sign Language Multimedia Lexicon (ShSL MML).

This article ethnographically analyzes the practices of deaf young adults in Bangalore, India. As sign language is not used by families, schools, or other institutions, the church is a crucial educational space. Churchgoing provides deaf young adults with opportunities to orient themselves toward other deaf young adults, to develop new ideas of self and other, and to value sign language.

The world cannot reach its goal of "Education for All" without showing improvement in developing nations, such as India. Despite the political will and legal protections in India, nearly 50% of children drop out of school before eighth grade (MHRD Annual Report, 2008). Learning assessments in Indian schools indicate that children who do remain in school are not learning the basics of literacy and numeracy (S. Verma, 2007). Because of the policy of inclusive education, increasing numbers of children with disabilities attend mainstream schools. Although inclusion is often beneficial, children who are deaf find it difficult to compete in academics when compared with children who can hear because of their literacy skills. This study investigates whether differences in literacy skills exist between children with and without hearing loss prior to school. Thirty-four children with and without hearing loss between the ages of 5 and 6 were administered the Test of School Readiness to study the differential script and nonscript literacy skills. Results indicate that the children with hearing loss perform similarly to children with normal hearing on nonscript-related items; however, they lag behind on script-related items.

This article is a result of my MSc Deaf Studies dissertation that is situated on an intersection between Deaf geography, anthropology and Deafhood theory. During five weeks of participatory observation and interviews in Mumbai, my attention was drawn to the city's lifeline: the suburban train system. It appeared that Deaf people tend to travel in specific compartments for people with disabilities that were set up about eight years ago. They started to use these compartments--and also the train platforms--as important meeting places. The article explains how this evolved and the reasons for traveling in compartments for disabled people rather than in general train compartments--reasons that have nothing to do with a "deficit" perspective on deafness. Not only has this way of traveling several sociocultural consequences that appear to strengthen links in the Mumbai Deaf community; in addition the visibility of signing Deaf groups has caused a growth in Deaf awareness among hearing people in these "disabled" compartments in particular and at the train stations in general. It is because of Mumbai's geography, its resulting population density and the heavy use of suburban trains unique for this city, that these several different effects were so strongly spread in both the Deaf community and among hearing people. (Contains 24 notes and 7 figures.)

Fifty-three deaf adults from Pune, India, rated the suitability of 12 professions for deaf, and for hearing people. Respondents' criteria for career choice appeared to be based on the need for hearing, speech, and visual skills. Although results generally supported findings in other countries, culturally specific factors appeared to play a role in shaping attitudes. (DB)

Twenty-two hearing teachers or parents of deaf children in India completed a questionnaire concerning their perceptions of the suitability of nine professions for a deaf or hearing individual. The hearing status of the advisee selectively influenced respondents' ratings of a profession's suitability. (DB)

Comparison of Indian rural and urban sign languages of the deaf found that the urban form transmitted information primarily by means of appeal to a shared linguistic code, and the rural form mainly by appeal to communal nonlinguistic knowledge. Both languages employed effective and appropriate means given their environments. (23 references) (Author/CB)

Based on narratives by deaf Indians and their family members, it is suggested that deaf Indians come to view their deafness as "natural." The notion of "naturalness" is complex and multifaceted. Several components of this notion and the role it plays in the lives of deaf people and their families are explored here. (JL)

Exploration of two sign languages independently employed by two isolated deaf signers in a single northern India village found that both languages included such negative structure elements as context-dependence, multichannels, and nondiscrete, ambiguous signs. One signer, strongly embedded in close relationships that formed a tiny speech community, exhibited rudiments of more positive structuring. (two references) (Author/CB)

The total or partial impairment of auditory sense is one of the most prevalent sensory deficits. It causes an immense impact on a person's daily activities, social, economic, and overall being. Out of every one thousand infants being born, about five to six suffer from hearing loss. Unfortunately, in our Indian scenario, they go undiagnosed immediately after birth. By the time the parents recognize the problem, the children have already crossed two years of age, and the most important time for development of speech and language has passed. The only way to counter this problem is to screen all newborns universally, right after their birth. Trained healthcare personnel can be equipped to screen the infants. The National Program for Prevention and Control of Deafness, India advocated this Universal Newborn Hearing Screening. The only way forward is to diagnose these children with hearing impairment early and give them appropriate means of rehabilitation, to reduce our burden of deafness in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Michele Ilana Friedner's book, "Sensory Futures: Deafness and Cochlear Implant Infrastructures in India," explores the ambivalence surrounding cochlear implants in India and challenges rigid value judgments. The author argues for a broader understanding of normality and emphasizes the importance of relational infrastructure in moving beyond narrow definitions of ability. Friedner's research delves into the complexities of cochlear implant usage, including the role of the Indian state, surgeons, and corporations, as well as the hard work and care undertaken by families. The book also advocates for total communication and a flexible concept of "deaf futurism" to maximize the potential of deaf and disabled individuals. Overall, this book is recommended for medical anthropologists, Deaf studies scholars, and disability scholars. [Extracted from the article]

This article examines the colonial and Brahminical perspectives on body, disability, and deafness in India. It argues that disability theories from the global North have overlooked the influence of colonialism and pre-colonial ideologies on disability experiences in the global South. The article discusses how Brahminical texts have stigmatized disabled bodies and denied inheritance rights to disabled individuals. It also explores the dominance of oralism in Deaf education and the impact of sound technologies on deaf people. The research aims to challenge oppressive structures and perspectives in order to contribute to the decolonization of disability. [Extracted from the article]

In 2014, the Indian state revised a key program providing aids and appliances to disabled people to also include cochlear implants for children living below the poverty line. The program is remarkable in its targeting of the poorest of the poor to provide them with expensive technology made by multinational corporations and its development of new surgery and rehabilitation infrastructures throughout India. Based on interviews and participant observation with key stakeholders, this paper argues that in focusing only on "a right to hearing" and on cochlear implants as a solution for deafness, health care practitioners ignore the complex work required to maintain cochlear implant infrastructures, as well as the advocacy work done by disability activists in India and internationally to transform existing political, economic, educational, and social structures. Since cochlear implants are the "gold standard" in intervening on hearing loss and increasing numbers of countries in the Global South have started state-funded cochlear implant programs, an exploration of India's program provides an opportunity to analyze both the importance of infrastructure and the need to combat ableism within structural competency frameworks. Disability justice is part of structural competency. Ultimately what is at stake is expanding health practitioners' ideas of what it means to maximize potential, particularly in the face of new technological interventions around disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To describe clinico-demographical profile for post-lingual hearing loss in the adults undergoing cochlear implantation and their outcomes. A retrospective chart review was conducted including adult patients (> 18 years) with bilateral post-lingual severe to profound hearing loss who underwent cochlear implantation in a tertiary care hospital of north India. The clinico-demographical details were collected and the outcomes of the procedure were assessed in terms of speech intelligibility scores, usage and satisfaction scores. Twenty-one patients were included with a mean age of 38.6 years with 15 males and 6 females. The major cause of deafness was infections followed by ototoxicity. The complication rate was 4.8%. Preoperative SDS was not recordable in any of the patients. The mean postoperative SDS was 74%, with no issue of device malfunction in a mean follow-up of 44 months. Cochlear implantation is a safe surgery with good outcomes in post-lingually deafened adults with the major cause for deafness being infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A pilot newborn hearing screening (NHS) program was established at 11 Corporation Maternity Hospitals in Chennai, a city in South India, to aid in the early detection of hearing loss. Nurses were trained how to screen newborns using both otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) and automated auditory brainstem responses (AABRs). The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore nurses' perceptions of the NHS program and the challenges they faced in implementing it. Material and methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 nurses, one from each hospital, who performed NHS in Corporation Maternity Hospitals. Interviews were conducted using guides and probes developed and validated by experts. Results: Four general themes that covered the nurses' responses were identified: their understanding of NHS and skills in its execution; gaps in their understanding of the NHS program, constraints faced in implementing the screening program, and additional needs for support. Conclusions: Addressing gaps in training needs, providing full documentation, and overcoming poor adherence to NHS protocols would help the program grow. The lessons learnt are also transferable to programs conducted in similar low-middle income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nursing management of the deaf and dumb psychiatric patient is a challenging task. The patient may not be able to communicate with nurse or others, which makes it difficult for you to know what is happening during treatment. Nurse must be able to communicate with the patient and understand their needs in order to provide effective care. A deaf and dumb psychiatric patient who can't communicate well with others will have a hard time getting along with other people in his/her surroundings. This will make him/her feel isolated which may lead him/her to become depressed as well as anxious because he/she won't know what's going on around him/her. This article discusses the ways to provide nursing care to deaf and dumb psychiatric patient in psychiatric unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estimated prevalence of adult onset hearing deafness in India is 7.6% and childhood onset hearing loss is 2%. But there are very few studies which highlight the prevalence of various types of hearing loss. So a retrospective, cross-sectional study in a peripheral tertiary care hospital was designed to analyze the different types of hearing loss among patients with complaints of hearing disabilities attending and assess the more prevalent type of hearing loss according to severity. Out of total study population of 14,365 patients, Male patients with Mild hearing loss have the maximum correlation coefficient followed by Moderate, Moderately severe, Profound and Severe hearing loss. In the case of female patients Mild Hearing loss has the maximum correlation coefficient. Result of this study may be helpful in planning and management of different programs related to hearing disability prevention. As most of the hearing loss is mild variety and it slowly progress to other form of severe hearing loss, early intervention is very helpful in reducing the severity thus disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of oral health education (OHE), incorporating a novel pre-validated visual performance reinforcement (VPR) technique and sign language, on gingival health, plaque control, and oral hygiene knowledge and practices in 12 to 15-year-old hearing- and speech-impaired adolescents. A double-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted in a government school for deaf children in Belagavi, Karnataka, India. A total of 80 adolescents, aged 12–15 years, were randomly assigned, using a computer-generated table of random numbers, into two groups: Group A receiving the VPR technique (n = 40), and Group B receiving sign language (n = 40). A specially designed pre-validated closed-ended questionnaire was administered to both groups, followed by clinical examination to obtain the gingival and plaque index, before intervention and at a 16-week follow-up period. Group A showed a significant increase in the knowledge gained when compared to Group B. Similarly, a significant improvement in oral hygiene practices was also observed in Group A. However, at the 16-week follow-up, there were no statistically significant differences in gingival and plaque scores between the groups. OHE using the VPR technique can be as effective and satisfactory as sign language in the reduction of gingival and plaque scores and in the improvement of knowledge and its application in oral hygiene maintenance among hearing- and speech-impaired adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Facial dysostosis is a group of rare craniofacial congenital disabilities requiring multidisciplinary long-term care. This report presents the phenotypic and genotypic information from South India. Design: The study is a case series. Setting: This was an international collaborative study involving a tertiary craniofacial clinic and medical genetics unit. Patients, Participants: The participants were 9 families with 17 affected individuals of facial dysostosis. Intervention: Exome analysis focused on known genes associated with acrofacial and mandibulofacial syndromes. Main Outcome Measure: The outcome measure was to report phenotyptic and genetic heterogeneity in affected individuals. Results: A Tessier cleft was seen in 7 (41%), lower eyelid coloboma in 12 (65%), ear anomalies in 10 (59%), uniolateral or bilateral aural atresia in 4 (24%), and deafness in 6 (35%). The facial gestalt of Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) showed extensive phenotypic variations. Pathogenic variants in TCOF1 (Treacher Collins syndrome) were seen in six families, POLR1A (acrofacial dysostosis, Cincinnati type) and EFTUD2 (mandibulofacial dysostosis with microcephaly) in one each. One family (11.1%) had no detectable variation. Five out of six probands with Treacher Collins syndrome had other affected family members (83.3%), including a non-penetrant mother, identified after sequencing. Conclusion: Our report illustrates the molecular heterogeneity of mandibulofacial dysostosis in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deafmutism affects communication and wholesome development of an individual. India has a significant burden of deafness in the country. Even fourteen years after the launch of a National Program for Prevention and Control of Deafness in year 2006, we lack detailed data about the disability from most regions of the country. This study aims at finding out the prevalence, clinical history-examination and audiological profile of deaf-mute patients visiting the Out Patient Department (OPD) of a tertiary care institute in Uttarakhand, and compare the results with similar studies published during last 20 years from India to generate a literature review. Out of 46,049 patients that visited OPD of the institute during the given period of 24 months, 73 cases were short-listed clinically to be enrolled in the study. However, only 55 (75%) of them completed the questionnaire and audiological testing. All information was extracted from the patients/relatives with the help of a questionnaire in the Hindi language. The prevalence of deafmutism in patient presenting in our OPD in the study period was 0.3%. The history of pre-, peri- and post-natal risk factors was present in high percentage (58.2%, 78.2% and 34.5% respectively) of patients. This warrants review of our maternal and child healthcare strategies. The literature review revealed lack of uniform and standardized tool in conducting and reporting of studies on deafmutism. The questionnaire used in this study can be further improved and modified in the future as per the requirements of data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The goal of this research was to investigate the gap junction beta 2 (GJB2) gene mutations associated with nonsyndromic hearing loss individuals in North Karnataka, India. Materials and Methods For this study, patients with sensorineural genetic hearing abnormalities and a family history of deafness were included. A total of 35 patients from 20 families have been included in the study. The patient’s DNAwas isolated from peripheral blood samples. The GJB2 gene coding region was analyzed through Sanger sequencing. Results There is no changes in the first exon of the GJB2 gene. Nine different variants were recorded in second exon of the targeted gene. W24X andW77X are two nonsense mutations and three polymorphisms viz. R127H, V153I, and I33T were reported along with four 3′-UTR variants. A total (9/20) of 45% of families have been identified with mutations in the targeted gene. Conclusion GJB2 mutations were identified in 19 deaf-mute patients (19/35), and 13 patients were homozygous for the mutations identified in our study cohort. In our study, W24X mutation was found to be the pathogenic with a high percentage, prompting further evaluation of the other genes, along with the study of additional genetic or external causes in the families, which is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This research aimed to explore the deaf identity development process and to compare the identity status of deaf children in India, based on their exposure to inclusive and segregated educational institutions. The first section of the paper presents the Deaf Identity Development Models proposed by other researchers, while the second section deals with the information acquired from the deaf students in the study sample. Method: Forty pre-lingual deaf students were selected through a purposive sampling technique. The study tool was an adapted version of the Deaf Identity Development scale. The data was analysed qualitatively through content analysis. Identified themes were presented along with the verbatim statements. Results: The findings revealed that the age of onset of hearing loss, degree of hearing impairment, parents' hearing ability, family's socio-economic status, parents' education, family environment, the attitude of parents, social exposure, present and past experiences and social acceptance of the deaf child contribute tremendously to the development of an identity. The study also found that most of the deaf students who had not attended special schools possessed a culturally marginal identity, whereas students with prior special school experience possessed a bicultural identity and were better adjusted in the inclusive schools as compared to their counterparts. Conclusion: Further research is suggested, with a special focus on how people with different degrees of congenital hearing impairment experience and negotiate their identity in context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to validate the translated Kannada version of the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA) questionnaire for hearing aid users. The original (English) and the translated versions of the IOI-HA questionnaire along with the Self-Assessment of Communication (SAC) were self-administered by hearing aid users. To examine test-retest reliability, 50% of the study participants completed the Kannada IOI-HA for a second time approximately 15 days later. The data analyses examined various psychometric properties using a predetermined quality criterion. 105 Kannada-English bilingual adults using hearing aids. Factor analysis indicated a two-factor structure that explained a 61.8% variance in the IOI-HA. A Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.7 indicated acceptable internal consistency. Good test-retest reliability (Interclass Correlation Coefficient > 0.9) was obtained for both conditions (i.e. between the original English and translated Kannada versions and also between two different administrations of the Kannada IOI-HA questionnaire). Divergent validity test results were acceptable, and no ceiling or floor effects were noted. Convergent validity testing of the SAC, however, was poor with small correlation, although the direction of correlation (i.e. negative) was as expected. Results suggest acceptable psychometric properties of the Kannada version of the IOI-HA questionnaire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hereditary nonsyndromic hearing loss (NSHL) is an extremely heterogeneous disorder, both genetically and clinically. Myosin VI ( MYO6 ) pathogenic variations have been reported to cause both prelingual and postlingual forms of NSHL. Postlingual autosomal dominant cases are often overlooked for genetic etiology in clinical setups. In this study, we used next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based targeted deafness gene panel assay to identify the cause of postlingual hearing loss in an Indian family. Methods: The proband and his father from a multigenerational Indian family affected by postlingual hearing loss were examined via targeted capture of 129 deafness genes, after excluding gap junction protein beta 2 ( GJB2 ) pathogenic variants by Sanger sequencing. NGS data analysis and co-segregation of the candidate variants in the family were carried out. The variant effect was predicted by in silico tools and interpreted following American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics-Association for Molecular Pathology guidelines. Results: A novel heterozygous transversion c.3225T>G, p.(Tyr1075*) in MYO6 gene was identified as the disease-causing variant in this family. This stop-gained variant is predicted to form a truncated myosin VI protein, which is devoid of crucial cargo-binding domain. PCR-RFLP screening in 200 NSHL cases and 200 normal-hearing controls showed the absence of this variant indicating its de novo nature in the population. Furthermore, we reviewed MYO6 variants reported from various populations to date. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first family with MYO6 -associated hearing loss from an Indian population. The study also highlights the importance of deafness gene panels in molecular diagnosis of GJB2 -negative pedigrees, contributing to genetic counseling in the affected families.

Some of the anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs used for drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) are ototoxic and can result in hearing loss with extended use. Hearing loss can be present in individuals with DR-TB even before the initiation of anti-TB treatment. Not all studies investigating the adverse drug reactions of DR-TB treatment performed standard audiometric tests on their participants. Thus, the pre-treatment hearing status of individuals with DR-TB is less documented. We aimed to retrospectively profile hearing status in individuals diagnosed with DR-TB before initiation of anti-TB medication. Retrospective analysis of pre-treatment audiological reports from 110 individuals (81 males) aged between 18 and 82 years diagnosed with DR-TB from August 2017 to August 2018 who reported to a tertiary care hospital in Mangaluru, Karnataka, a South Indian city was done. Case history and pure tone audiometry data were available for all individuals. Descriptive statistics for each parameter were considered and the Chi-square test of independence was performed between selected variables to check for any association between variables. Only 29.09% (n = 32) of the individuals reported ear and hearing-related complaints. Pre-treatment for DR-TB, 88 individuals (80%) had some degree of hearing loss in at least one ear. Mild degree (60.4%) and sensorineural type (55.68%) of hearing loss were most frequently observed. Greater hearing loss was noted at high frequencies than at low frequencies. A significant association between age and prevalence of hearing loss was found [χ2(2, N = 110)=10.28, p <.05]. There was no significant association between age and degree of hearing loss [χ2(8, N = 87)=4.46, p >.05] as well as age and the type of hearing loss [χ2(4, N = 87)=4.29, p >.05]. High prevalence of hearing loss in individuals with DR-TB before initiation of anti-TB treatment was observed. However, very few individuals reported reduced hearing during case history. We emphasise performing standard audiometric tests as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to monitor the effects of ototoxicity in individuals undergoing treatment for DR-TB rather than depending on self-reported measures of change in hearing or clinician determined need for hearing tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study related to 15-year-old girl from the southern part of India has presented with a history of detection of increased blood glucose levels. Topics include the girl had been hard of hearing and was prescribed hearing aids elsewhere, and the history revealed that she used to have similar scaly lesions in other areas of the body such as the neck, upper chest, and behind the ears that had become better in course of time because she used to apply emollients.

In the present study, an attempt has been made to assess the impact of vehicular noise upon the 3-wheeler tempo drivers and to know whether there is any relationship between hearing loss and cumulative noise exposure. For this purpose, 3-wheeler tempo drivers (Exposed group) and non-commercial light motor vehicle car drivers (Unexposed group) were chosen as study subjects. Three traffic routes were selected to assess the noise level during waiting and running time in the exposed and unexposed groups. Among all three routes, the highest mean noise level (L eq ) was observed on the Chowk to Dubagga route for waiting and en-route noise measurement. It was measured as 84.13 dB(A) and 86.36 dB(A) for waiting and en-route periods of 7.68 ± 3.46 and 31.05 ± 6.6 min, respectively. Cumulative noise exposure was found to be significantly different (p < 0.001) in all age groups of exposed and unexposed drivers. Audiometric tests have been performed over both exposed and unexposed groups. The regression analysis has been done keeping hearing loss among tempo drivers as the dependent variable and age (years) and Energy (Pa 2 Hrs) as the independent variable using three different criteria of hearing loss definitions, i.e., World Health Organization, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Occupational Safety and Health Administration criteria. Among these three criteria, the NIOSH criterion of hearing loss best explained the independent variables. It could explain the total variation in dependent variable by independent variable quite well, i.e., 68.1%. The finding showed a linear relationship between cumulative noise exposures (Pa 2 Hrs) and the exposed group's hearing loss (dB), i.e., hearing loss increases with increasing noise dose. Based on the findings, two model equations were developed to identify the safe and unsafe noise levels with exposure time., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Health care providers must be aware of the choices in aural rehabilitation methods and assessment procedures available presently to those with hearing impairment in order to facilitate early identification and intervention and ensure quality of care to those hearing impaired individuals. The referrals from the medical fraternities for the audiological services are not uniform across India. Part of reason may be that awareness about the roles of and responsibilities of audiologist's is poor among medical practitioners. In some regions of India medical practitioners may be only grossly be aware of audiologists per se. They may not know enough to refer all individuals with hearing or balance disorders for the required audiological services., Aim: To evaluate changes in pre survey and post survey after education intervention specifically planned for medical practitioners in the state of Sikkim, India. Education intervention included awareness about hearing impairment and its assessment and management by audiologists., Method: A pre and post survey comparison research design with purposive convenient sampling technique was applied. Participants were medical practitioners working in geographical area of Sikkim at the time of the study. Inspection of demographic data of respondents showed that they were in their age range of 24 and 60 years and with work experience ranging 1-40 years. Participants were invited for an awareness talk which included, information about hearing loss, early identification and early intervention, tests and management of hearing loss in different age groups, need for hearing aids/cochlear implants, auditory training, and the role of an audiologist in the management of hearing loss and ways to prevent hearing loss. A pre and post awareness program responses were collected from all the participants using a customized questionnaire tool., Results: Respondents exhibited, in the pre-survey questionnaire, lack of awareness in many aspects of audiology, including assessing hearing impairment, diagnosing hearing loss, and the role of an audiologist. There was an overall, statistically significant difference in the level of performance on the pre-awareness and post-awareness responses., Conclusion: Following an awareness campaign among the medical professionals in Sikkim, there was a considerable change in their level of awareness of hearing impairment, its assessment, and management by audiologists. The reach of the awareness campaign was significant as around 70% of subjects showed significant change in their knowledge and attitude towards hearing impairment, its management.

Purpose: Assortative mating (AM) or preferential mating is known to influence the genetic architecture of the hearing-impaired (HI) population. AM is now seen as a universal phenomenon with individuals seeking partners based on quantitative, qualitative, and behavioral phenotypes. However, the molecular genetic dynamics of AM among the HI tested in real time are limited to the DFNB1 locus. Methods: A total of 113 HI partners from 82 South Indian families (52 deaf marrying deaf and 30 deaf marrying normal), previously excluded for DFNB1 (GJB2/6) etiology, were screened for SLC26A4 gene (DFNB4) variants. Results: A spectrum of seven pathogenic variants viz., p.S90L, p.V239D, p.V359E, p.Gly389Trpfs*79 (novel), p.T410M, p.N457K and p.K715N were identified. The pathogenic allele frequency of SLC26A4 variants identified in this study was 3.98% (9/226). Conclusion: We recommend a preliminary screening of mutational hotspots for future investigations to rapidly test for its recurrence among South Indian HI population. This will be the first study to comprehensively account for the incidence of SLC26A4 gene variants and the real-time dynamics of DFNB4 variants among this type of a HI cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study was conducted to provide a detailed report concerning the impression of disabled users' vis-à-vis satisfaction with the library and information services provided at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). Design/methodology/approach: To conduct the research study, 214 disabled students, the librarian and the in charge of the Braille section were surveyed using a bilateral approach, which included a questionnaire and structured interview. The data, thus, collected were analysed using the SPSS (version 23) tool. Findings: The research data revealed that the library under study was providing adequate information resources and services to their disabled users, exclusive of subtitles digital versatile disc (DVD) and videos for deaf students. It also came to light that there is a necessity of skilled staff, proficient in sign language, interpretation and Braille reading, which the library should look into the near future. The results also highlighted that most of the users were satisfied with the resources, while least were satisfied with the services and facilities provided by the library; suggestions were listed to maximize the satisfaction level amongst users. Research limitations/implications: The present study is confined to AMU and the disabled students enrolled in various courses of study. A suitably designed survey can be applied to reveal similar trends in different institutions as well. Originality/value: This study is useful for professionals pursuing an understanding of the library and information services for disabled persons. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the opinions recorded and the services highlighted will not only be useful for the particular organization but also serve the purpose for the governing bodies where the policies for these users are framed as a result of which institutions can develop effective services to access knowledge without any barrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The worldwide population of diabetic patients is increasing alarmingly with India claiming number one position. It causes irreversible damage to cochlear hair cells, vestibular apparatus, visual pathway, nephrons, nerves, if not checked in time. A total of 188 patients of diabetes mellitus were included in this prospective study. The patients underwent routine anamnesis, hearing handicap inventory and dizziness handicap inventory assessment along with clinical examination for audiological, vestibular, neurological and ophthalmological (fundoscopy) status. In our study a sensorineural hearing loss, retinopathy, neuropathy, vestibulopathy was seen in diabetic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Speech is a stimulus with high redundancy because the information in it is conveyed in several ways simultaneously. Because of redundancy, a regular speech identification test is largely insensitive to identifying high frequency hearing loss in a subject. The present study aimed to develop and standardise a word list in the Nepali language in which the selected words have elevated high frequency content. Material and methods: The study was conducted in three phases. The first stage was to develop a high frequency word list, which was completed by gathering familiar bisyllabic words, recording them, and then selecting words dominant in high frequencies. In stage 2, the developed word list was administered to 100 individuals with normal hearing. In stage 3, the final lists were administered to 10 individuals with simulated high frequency hearing loss in order to determine the usefulness of the list. Finally, 7 psychometrically equivalent word lists with 20 words per list were developed. Results: Normal hearing individuals showed Speech Identification Scores of more than 95% whereas in the case of the simulated high frequency loss group, significantly poorer speech identification scores were obtained. Conclusions: This present study standardised high frequency word lists in Nepali and all the lists were validated in subjects with simulated high frequency hearing loss. Hence, this can be used as a standard high frequency word list in the Nepali population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]