ABSTRACT
Figure 12.1 Irene W. Leigh (top right) and Jean F. Andrews (lower left), two authors looking towards the future
Nationwide, approximately 45 million people have hearing differences ranging from mild to profound. This can affect language comprehension and communication to varying degrees. Some causes of hearing loss can be treated medically, but the majority of profoundly deaf persons have a sensorineural hearing level that is currently not amenable to medical treatment aside from cochlear implantation (Chapter 3). In this book, our primary focus has been on this population, although we have briefly covered those individuals who have confronted issues related to changing hearing levels over the course of their lives.
