Is single sided deafness a disability?

I doubt there is any place that would count someone who is blind in one eye as “disabled”, either.

However, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation will help people with hearing loss – including unilateral hearing loss – to get devices to help them stay active in the workforce. It is a Federal program that is administered on a county level – with the unemployment office. The program does use income as a qualification criteria, but the guidelines are considerably higher than Public Assistance guidelines, since the program is for working people.

For SSD, there is the CROS system, where a device is worn on the “dead” ear to pick up sounds from that side, and it transmits those sounds to a device worn on the “good” ear. Many of my patients love this system, others have become so accustomed to having just the one side that they don’t want to be bothered with wearing hearing instruments. It is a personal decision that is best based upon a trial period with the device – which is available for devices obtained through DVR, and is fairly standard through the industry when the patient purchases the devices out-of-pocket, where the majority of the purchase price is refunded if the patient returns the instruments within the first month.

Social Security has a “Blue Book,” Disability Evaluation Under Social Security, that has a section, 2.00 Special Senses and Speech – Adult. Sub-section 2.08 on Hearing Impairments states:

2.08 Hearing Impairments (hearing not restorable by a hearing aid) manifested by:

A. Average hearing threshold sensitivity for air conduction of 90 decibels or greater, and for bone conduction to corresponding maximal levels, in the better ear, determined by the simple average of hearing threshold levels at 500, 1000, and 2000hz. (see 2.00B1); or

B. Speech discrimination scores of 40% or less in the better ear.

well thank you very much…

easy answer – NO – you still have one good ear.
disability experienced…..

I am at the beginning stages of researching this. I have SSD (from an AN tumor removed 8 yr.s ago), severe tinnitus and hyeracusis which is worsening. For the past 13 years I’ve worked a customer service job in an extremely noisy environment. My BAHA is worthless as it amplifies all the noise that’s damaging my good ear. I just can’t do this anymore and will need time and money to get trained in another field.
My 45 yr.old neighbor has been collecting disability for using a cane for years. I’m thinking I need to talk to a disability lawyer to get realistic answers. Anyone with experience in this area?

@hamiltonabt: As mentioned above, in the US, there is the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation that can help you get testing and more appropriate amplification; as well as job training.

I’d like to hear anyone’s experience attempting to get Social Security Disability Insurance for SSD. Did you have your Dr. document everything to include with your application? Did anyone have a disability lawyer represent you?
Only hearing in one ear is a disability. A SSD person cannot localize sound, it is impossible for the brain to accurately interpret background noise or determine the source of a specific signal. When called, a SSD person will turn 360 degrees in search of the sound source. In a noisy, acoustically reflective environment, sound will seem to originate from all directions.
People with two working ears are able to beamform sound, meaning that their brains can use the differences in intensity and timing with which sound waves hit each ear to localize its source. This enables them to tell from which direction and how far away the sound is coming. They are also able to broadband beamform, which allows all sound frequencies to beamform simultaneously, so that the listener can differentiate between independent signals. This process allows the binaural listener to exclude sound that is anything other than the signal of interest. In a crowded room, a binaural person can hear the person s/he is talking to, while excluding the other voices generated in the vicinity.
In contrast, a SSD person is unable to localize or beamform sound, because she/he can only hear one channel of the acoustic signal. All of the sounds from a given space are received as a single muddled input. Thus, the SSD or monaural person can barely hear a close conversation in a noisy room, distracted by the large signal of a nearby talker or the overall din of collective conversation. Significant reverberation coming to the environment can cause added difficulty for the unilateral hearing person.

@hamiltonabt: Unilateral hearing loss is a significant sensory imparment – just as unilateral vision loss is – since one’s perception is altered tremendously. However, niether of those conditions are truly “disabling” to the point where the person is rendered incapable of holding any kind of employment. As I mentioned earlier, there are devices that can assist the person with SSD, unlike the person who is blind in one eye. In fact, there are people who are completely deaf in both ears, people who are completely blind in both eyes, and some with loss of both vision and hearing that are employed and enjoying life. “Disability” is a debatable term, for sure… just read Helen Keller.

Unfortunately you are terribly misinformed. Unilateral deafness is a disabling condition which affects daily functions. Try crossing a busy intersection and not realizing you almost got hit because you didn’t hear a truck or car coming out of the blue. Or better yet try sitting in a restaurant with a group of people and misunstanding the question or comment and answering totally off the mark, and have everyone look at you like you’re nuts. And for the record, if someone has SSD don’t assume that a device will amplify in the deaf ear. Did you ever think maybe the person doesn’t have an auditory nerve?If this is the case, a device is useless. I have had so many people tell me to get a hearing aid, and for what? I don’t have a hearing nerve any longer. Hearing impairment and vision are two very different disabilities which are serious enough to qualify as a Disability and a handicap. Whether or not it is one or both eyes or ears, is a moot point. The person doesn’t have the advantage like a person with both falculties working. Having a disability does not mean that the person is lazy and dumb and doesn’t want to work. We just have limitations and others should be considerate of this.

@Greenpeas2: There are those who have some hearing in the poorer ear, yet still cannot benefit from a hearing aid. In the case of a dead auditory nerve, even a cochlear implant is not an option. The general public would have no way of knowing this, though. Be realistic with your expectations, and be proactive in education those around you.

However, as mentioned above, there are devices designed to send the sound from the side of your head with the “dead ear” over to the better ear, so that you can receive the sounds from the other side more clearly. Of course it is never the same as having natural binaural hearing, but with consistent use, many people are able to distinguish subtle differences to tell which side the sound is generated from.

Unitron’s Tandem system uses WiFi technology to send sounds from a microphone on the dead ear to a receiver on the better ear. This is the best option if the better ear also has hearing loss, because the device on the better ear is a digital hearing aid that can programmed to the compensate for a loss on the better ear. The Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA) is a device that is implanted on the side of the head with the dead ear and the sound vibrations travel to the opposite inner ear via bone conduction. The TransEar system also uses bone conduction via a deep fitting earmold on the dead ear. Systems using bone conduction are really only an option if the good ear has normal hearing.

So there are devices that can help even in the absence of auditory nerve function on the one side. Nothing is perfect, and as with most devices and compensatory tools, the more consistently you use it, the better you adapt to it and benefit from it.

I would have to say that ssd (single sided deafness) should be considered a disability. Hi every one im conner im 22 and I have ssd. I think its hard having ssd because you can’t always hear everything definitely in noisy areas. For me its hard cuz I work in a restaurant and it gets loud in there and I can’t always hear people when they talk to me. Nobody in the restaurant knows about my ssd so it makes it harder. Should I tell them or not. Another thing is my ent doc wants me to get hearing aid but I have talked with some people and they told me a hearing aid wouldn’t help me and I have turned down the implanted hearing devices. What should I do should I get a hearing aid or just live my life half deaf. It be great if I could get some help from people with ssd any help would be good thanks.

@nelssocc5— My answer to my patients is that you never know until you try. ALL hearing aids have at least a 30-day trial period – whether you get one for just the poor ear, or a CROS device, or the Trans-Ear device – you can wear it for a month, follow-up with your Audiologist to help with adapting to how to use what you hear, and really give it your best effort. If it really is of little to no benefit, exchange it for something else, or return it for a refund.

I had a 92-year-old patient who had ssd for decades and had never tried any devices, but was now losing the hearing in the better ear because of aging. Most professionals would have just aided the better ear, but mentioned the Bi-CROS system and the trial period, and they decided to try it, knowing that if it wasn’t beneficial, it could be exchanged for a traditional device for the one side. But it was a big success!!

Since you’re working, you could contact your local Vocational Rehabilitation office to help get financial assistance for the devices, since insurance rarely covers them. Being young also means that your brain can adapt more quickly to using assistive devices than most elderly patients can.

Good Luck!

If SSD isn’t a disability it’s definitly a borderline disability because having this condition does complicate your job options. A broader question would be is being hard of hearing(HOH) a disability? SSD would fall into the category of being HOH. Being HOH can come in many forms. As far as comparing SSD to deaf people. I’ve heard some people say that in some ways being SSD or HOH can be more complicated than just being deaf. With a deaf person it’s clear the person can’t hear so sign language is used. Most HOH people don’t really need the use of sign langauge like deaf people do. HOH people like those with SSD can hear it’s just it’s more difficult for them in certain situations like in noisy enviroments which again is why job options can be limited for HOH people because most work places are noisy. This again is why I view SSD as being a borderline job disability. People with SSD can find jobs it’s just a matter of finding one where they can “work around” their condition.

Certainly limits your abilities—some cases more than other. Check out criteria for meeting social security disability definition.

Has anyone used a TransEar device? Found it helpful or bothersome? I’ve recently (6 months ago) had total hearing loss on my left ear and am exploring options. Dealing with large groups of people (training, restaurants, meetings) is extremely challenging. Looking for advice and suggestions—have medical advice that cochlear implant not an option for my SSD situation.

There is a new hearing aid option for people with SSD. It’s called SoundBite. It uses an attachment to your teeth that vibrates sound to your good hearing side. Google it for more info.

@MHoliday – I have only tried the TransEar with one patient; a colleague in another office also tried with one of her patients. Neither of us had good results. HOWEVER… my patient was a borderline candidate for the device for a number of reasons—most importantly because of the size and shape of her ear. If the patient’s ear canal is sufficiently large and straight enough, and they can tolerate the sensation of the rigid material that deep in the canal, then it could work very well!

As I mentioned previously, you never know until you try.

Find an Audiologist near you that works with that device, and go in for a consultation. Ask in advance what their fee schedule is for the hearing aid evaluation—usually they are minimal or nonexistent other than putting a deposit down should you choose to place an order.

I have sudden deafness with one big difference. All the sounds that enter my good ear send a rushing pain sensation and loud ring. I must keep cotton wadded in my good ear to keep sounds below 30db. Needless to say, my hearing is less than half to keep my sanity. A hearing aid would be like pouring iodine on an infected wound. I certainly hope my case will quailify for social security. I would much rather have my hearing back and work to old age, but I don’t have a choice any more…..

@ranbunctious – sudden-onset hearing loss is a separate issue, as is hyperacusis. Have you seen an Ear, Nose & Throat specialist AND a neurologist—or better yet, a Neurotologist?

I’m no expert, but I did develop total right side hearing loss about 10 years ago. About five years prior to that, I began to notice the hearing loss, sought medical care front some of NYC’s best ENT’s who monitered it fading to total, but thankfully ruled out tumors(MRI). Is it a disability… you bet it is given the right ste of circumstances. Being a HS social studies teacher who practiced a Socratic teaching style became very difficult. The sheer exhaustion I felt from spending time in a large (often noisy) setting wore on me to the point that my competency (I had always been thought of as an outstanding teacher) and emotional state eroded to the point that I could no longer continue. After 24 years on the job, I retired early on a teachers retirement system disability, six years short of my target retirement date. I was deeply depressed by the time I decided I could no longer perform up to my standards. A very painful experience.

@OketnomNow Thanks for sharing your experience with us. I hope you’ve found another way to gain some confidence back. Welcome to Fluther!

Here is a humorous video on youtube about this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcCm2PfwMzs

Here’s a video on the Soundbite device I mentioned.

http://www.hvaid.com/22847/a-device-that-allows-you-to-hear-through-your-teeth.html

This clip works. Its about the soundbite device for SSD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ueu1Iu687f4

Here is an interesting new device available for people with conductive or mixed hearing losses, or single-sided deafness / unilateral hearing loss. I have not tried this device, so I am not endorsing it in any way. If someone does try it, I would be interested to learn of your experiences. Thanks!