Study on socio-professional integration of persons with hearing impairment

• Author: A. B. Garcea/M. Bazgan
• Position: Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania/Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania
• Pages: 17-24

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşo v

Series VII: Social Sciences • Law • Vol. 11 (60) No. 1 - 2018

STUDY ON SOCIO-PROFESSIONAL INTEGRATION

OF PERSONS WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT

A. B. GARCEA1 M. BAZGAN2

Abstract: This paper analyses the issue of socio-professional integration of

hearing-impaired persons. The research methods used were the

questionnaire survey and the interview-based survey. The group of subjects

consists of 49 people – 34 adults with hearing difficulties, 4 teachers in

special education, 10 employers from the private sector, and 1 sign language

interpreter from the United States. The findings of the research prove the

limited access of the hearing-impaired people to the labor market. Also,

employers' professional requirements do not match the formal education of

people with hearing impairment.

Key words: hearing impairment, labor market, socio-professional

integration.

1. Introduction

What is the role of hearing in human development? To answer this question, we need

to know a few things about hearing. Hearing is one of the five senses of the human

being and is a particularly important component in our lives, because through it we can

differentiate the sounds. The ear perceives the vibrations that occur in the air, these

vibrations in turn produce the sound waves, which then the human ear transforms them

into sounds that give us information about the environment. The ear is an organ of both

hearing and balance. For proper functioning of normal hearing, it is important that each

soundtrack compartment is functional, otherwise we are talking about a hearing

impairment.

The word ‘handicap’ was first mentioned in the 16th century and since then has

undergone several changes in both content and meaning. The word comes from English

and has three different meanings, as follows: HAND IN CAP, where ‘hand’ means ‘hand’,

‘in’ is equal to ‘in’, and ‘cap’ means ‘casket’ or ‘hat’ (Anca, 2001). In support of the

clarification of the term ‘handicap’ and the operationalization of this concept, the World

Health Organization (WHO) presents three approaches in addressing this issue: the

medical aspect referring to the impairment; the functional aspect that refers to

incapacity; the socio-economic aspect of disability (Verza, 1995).

1 Transilvania University of Braşov, Romania, g_alina79@yahoo.com

2 Transilvania University of Braşov, Romania