Help Me Hear Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit public charity. Our tax ID# is 33-1167811.
Learn more about cochlear implants and see why Help Me Hear is dedicated to helping deaf children hear.
| The Problem |
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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.
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The burden of hearing impairment and deafness falls disproportionately on the poor, because they are unable to afford the preventive and routine care necessary to avoid hearing loss, or to afford [devices] to make the condition manageable. Hearing impairment can also make it more difficult to escape poverty by slowing progress in school and the workplace, and placing people in social isolation….The cost of special education and lost employment due to hearing impairment can also impose a substantial economic burden on countries.”
– World Health Organization