The stigma attached to hearing impairment

Abstract

Detailed analyses of the experience of impaired hearing demonstrate the ways in which it represents a threat to social identity. The reluctance to acknowledge impairment stems from the negative consequences of disclosing that status. The stigma attaching to hearing loss can be understood in the broader conceptual framework of 'shaming'. Generating stigma also needs to be understood at the micro-(interpersonal) and macro-(social) levels. The significance of stigmatizing in relation to rehabilitative strategies allows a reorientation to the issue of "normalisation' of identity, alongside treatment of disability.