“The problems of deafness are deeper and more complex, if not more important, than those of blindness. Deafness is a much worse misfortune. For it means the loss of the most vital stimulus--the sound of the voice that brings language, sets thoughts astir and keeps us in the intellectual company of man.”                - Helen Keller

Untold millions of people across the globe have a hearing impairment that does not allow them to hear a normal range of sounds. A person may have a mild to profound impairment depending on what part of, and how much of, the normal range they are unable to hear. A person is considered to be “deaf” when they cannot hear sounds below an intensity of 90 dB. One out of every 1,000 infants is born deaf.  As many as 4 out of every 1,000 infants born suffer from a permanent or sensorineural hearing impairment.

While the burden of deafness on an individual of any age is substantial, the burden on infants and developing children is debilitating. The first six years of life are the most important for language and speech development. Those children who cannot hear or recognize sounds during this time will not be able develop normally. Deaf children experience deficits in speech and language acquisition, academic achievement and social and emotional development.