Sensory impairments

Hearing Impairments

Partial or total loss of hearing, often leading to auditory fatigue from the effort to listen.
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About

Hearing impairment refers to partial or total loss of the ability to hear. Auditory fatigue occurs when a person with hearing loss becomes mentally and physically exhausted from the effort required to listen, process, and respond to sounds, especially in noisy or busy environments.

This condition is often invisible.

Many disabilities, including this one, may not have outward signs—people can be significantly impacted even if they appear “fine” on the outside.

Common Challenges

  • Difficulty understanding speech, especially in group settings or noisy environments
  • Increased fatigue from constant listening and concentration
  • Miscommunication or delays in processing verbal information
  • Challenges with telephone or video conferencing
  • Social withdrawal or anxiety in workplace interactions

Practitioner Help

  • Identify quieter work environments or roles with limited background noise
  • Explore use of assistive technology (e.g. hearing aids, captioning tools)
  • Help build self-advocacy skills for requesting accommodations
  • Support communication strategies with co-workers and employers
  • Provide pacing strategies to manage auditory fatigue

Common Accommodations

  • Use of visual or written communication methods
  • Clear face masks for lip reading, where needed
  • Modifying meetings to smaller groups or quiet spaces
  • Amplified telephones or video relay services (for hearing impairments)
  • Written instructions alongside verbal communication
  • Allowing breaks to rest or recalibrate balance
  • Noise-cancelling headphones
  • Quiet work environment or noise-cancelling headphones
View more on enableDex

Notes

This condition is often invisible, read more about invisible disabilities here:

Remember every client is unique, do not assume the challenges here are a problem for your client based on their diagnosis. Click here to explore discovery questions you can use during your coaching sessions to ensure you are providing tailored support.

Resources

  • Hearing loss - prevention, signs, diagnosis and treatment | healthdirect
  • About ear health | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
  • Hearing loss - how it affects people | Better Health Channel
Sensory impairments

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