Hearing Impairment and Hearing Disability

Professor Anthony Hogan is Professor of Governance and Deputy Director at the Institute of Governance at the University of Canberra, Australia. He is also adjunct Professor in Sociology at The Australian National University. He is a qualified welfare worker and rehabilitation counsellor with over 25 years’ experience working with people with disability. He has published several textbooks and many research articles on social aspects of living with hearing difference including Hearing Rehabilitation for Deafened Adults (Whurr/Wiley, 2001), and Adult Cochlear Implant Rehabilitation (Whurr/Wiley, 2005). Dr Rebecca Phillips is a Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis at the University of Canberra, Australia. She is a qualified occupational therapist with specific interests in the needs of children with disability and their wellbeing.

• Hearing Impairment and Hearing Disability

’Hogan and colleagues have written an intriguing book, grounded in sociological understandings of the body, impairment and disability. The arguments, drawn upon the Australian experience, will be of particular interest to researchers and scholars exploring the fringes of disability identity scholarship, that is the space of being in-between governing categories of the body.’ Karen Soldatic, University of New South Wales, Australia ’Hearing loss affects more than just communication; research indicates that people with hearing loss are three times more likely to use public health resources. Unaddressed hearing loss continues to have a huge impact on the lives of so many Australians. Hogan and Phillips have been able to use research and global success opportunities in real applications. This invaluable resource is a must have for anyone interested in making evidenced-based decisions and future planning.’ Michele Barry, Chief Executive Officer, Better Hearing Australia ’Except in rare instances, chronic hearing health conditions are almost always considered primarily from a medical, curative perspective. In their book, Hogan and Phillips challenge their readers to go beyond this traditional approach. Hearing disability is considered from a substantially broader perspective that encompasses social psychology, sociology and public health. The goal of their treatise is to bring the key stakeholders to recognize the important social manifestations and consequences of hearing loss and to adopt and provide intervention services that cater directly to these needs.’ Jean-Pierre Gagné, Université de Montréal, Canada