According to Nolan, there are many examples of deaf people serving with distinction in the U.S. military! Notable examples include the Texas War of Independence and the Civil War, and, more recently World War II.
In the U.S. and many other countries, Deaf people are not allowed to serve in the military. On the other hand, Keith Nolan explains that Deaf Israeli soldiers are allowed to serve in the military (The Israeli Defense Force) in Israel.
Since hearing damage affects the safety of military personnel and others around them, troops can be discharged from the military or forced to re-class into different job specialty, away from loud noises that cannot further damage the servicemember's hearing.
Nolan explains in his TED Talk that the United States Military has had deaf soldiers serve before. He says that a deaf soldier, known as “Deaf Smith,” played an integral role in the Texas War of Independence. Additionally, deaf soldiers have served on both sides of the Civil War, as well as serving in WWII.
18. Decided deafness. This disability must not be admitted on the mere statement of the drafted man, but must be proved by the existence of positive disease, or by other satisfactory evidence; and it must be so decided as to leave no doubt of the man's unfitness for military service.
Medical conditions, criminal history, age, physical fitness, and drug abuse can all disqualify you from joining the Army. Other disqualifying factors include failing to meet minimum educational requirements, having a dishonorable discharge from the military, or having a record of mental illness.
To qualify for disability benefits for hearing loss or tinnitus, military members must prove to a reasonable degree of medical certainty that their auditory injury is a result of their active-duty military service.
The following conditions may disqualify you from military service: a. Hearing loss with the severity of: (1) Pure tone at 500, 1,000, and 2,000 cycles per second of not more than 30 decibels (dB) on the average (each ear), with no individual level greater than 35dB at these frequencies.
“Deaf people can do anything, except hear.” So maybe I should have said that in the beginning to round it all up, but basically, to answer the question of what can deaf people do, well, deaf people can do anything except hear.
Similarly, it is considered incredibly rude to grab a deaf person's hands while they are signing. In the deaf community, this is the equivalent of holding your hand over someone's mouth to prevent them from speaking.
For those in the military, the Defense Occupational and Environmental Health Readiness System-Hearing Conservation, or DOEHRS-HC, audiogram is an annual hearing test that determines the softest level or volume that you can hear at certain frequencies.
Data collected by the VA shows as many as 52 percent of combat Soldiers have moderately severe hearing loss or worse, mostly because of the loud sounds associated with combat.
Individuals who are deaf clearly fall within the definition of disability which entitles those individuals to the protections of U.S. disability rights laws, regardless of whether those individuals consider themselves as having a disability." This makes the Deaf Community's position that deafness is not a disability ...
Sue Thomas (May 24, 1950 – December 13, 2022) was an American author and former FBI agent, who was the first deaf person to work as an undercover specialist doing lip-reading of suspects.
Yes, an individual who is deaf can obtain a pilot certificate in one of the five categories of aircraft: airplane, rotorcraft, glider, powered-lift, or lighter-than-air.
Mild hearing loss: Hearing loss of 20 to 40 decibels. Moderate hearing loss: Hearing loss of 41 to 60 decibels. Severe hearing loss: Hearing loss of 61 to 80 decibels. Profound hearing loss or deafness: Hearing loss of more than 81 decibels.
Hearing-impaired (also referred to as deaf) people think in terms of their “inner voice”. Some of them think in ASL (American Sign Language), while others think in the vocal language they learned, with their brains coming up with how the vocal language sounds.
Stand a metre or two away from the deaf person. This is important for hearing-aid users, lip-readers and signers. Speak clearly, slowly and steadily. Don't mumble, shout or exaggerate – it distorts your lip patterns.
Current standards for all military branches require: “A hearing threshold level in either ear of greater than a pure tone of 500, 1,000, and 2,000 cycles per second for each ear of not more than 30 decibels with no individual level of greater than 35 dB at those frequencies.”
However if you are interested in enlisting, failing your hearing, vision, and speaking tests (to be honest there is no speaking test), will definitely bar you from enlistment regardless of your other qualifications.
In short, hearing loss is extremely common in all branches of the military and can be compounded by post-service factors such as age, further noise exposure, medications and more. For hearing loss resources for military hearing loss please click here!
There is no “pass” or “fail.” This is just an assessment of your hearing. Push the button when you hear a sound, but don't push the button because you think you should be hearing a sound. Remember, it's not a “test,” so there is no reason to cheat! Next up is the word comprehension part of the exam.
A person will be considered disabled if their average threshold for air conduction hearing is at least 90 decibels and their average threshold for bone conduction hearing is at least 60 decibels, or if they score 40 percent or less on a word recognition test.