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  • Vision impairment
    • What is Vision Impairment (VI)?
    • What are the educational implications?
    • What support is available?
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  • Speech-Language Impairment
    • What is Speech-Language Impairment?
    • What are the educational implications?
    • What support is available?
    • Further information
  • Physical impairment
    • What is Physical Impairment (PI)?
    • What are the educational implications?
    • What support is available?
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  • Hearing Impairment
    • What is Hearing Impairment (HI)?
    • What are the educational implications?
    • What support is available?
    • Further information
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
    • What is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?
    • What are the educational implications?
    • What support is available?
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What is Hearing Impairment (HI)?

A hearing impairment signifies a full or partial loss of the ability to detect or discriminate sounds due to an abnormality associated with the physiology, anatomy or function of the ear. A hearing impairment can be described in terms of the:

• degree of a hearing impairment, ranging from a mild hearing impairment to a profound hearing impairment, and
• type of hearing impairment - permanent (sensori-neural), not permanent (conductive) or a combination of both (mixed loss).

A student with hearing impairment may use speech and/or sign to communicate. Some students who use sign prefer to be referred to as Deaf as they identify with the unique culture of the Deaf Community and perceive their deafness as a difference, not a disability. The Department of Education and Training refers broadly to this entire group as deaf/hearing impaired students.

Further information on the Department of Education and Training's (DET) disability category of hearing impairment is available on the Education Adjustment Program website.

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