ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the exploratory study findings that aimed at understanding the social representation of “hearing loss” and “hearing aids” in the countries of India, Iran, Portugal, and the UK. The most frequently occurring categories about hearing loss were: assessment and management, causes of hearing loss, communication difficulties, disability, hearing ability or disability, hearing instruments, negative mental state, the attitudes of others, and sound and acoustics of the environment. The most frequently occurring categories about hearing aids were: disability and aging, appearance and design, cost, hearing instruments, and improved hearing and communication. Some categories were reported with similar frequency in most countries, whereas others differed among countries. In addition, more differences were noted among these countries than similarities. These findings provide useful insights into the public perception of hearing loss and hearing aids that may prove useful in public education and counseling. In addition, some discussion on how these findings can be extrapolated to other issues related to how the public views disability will be presented.
