Knox County Schools Hearing Services Department Contacts

DEFINITION OF DEAFNESS/HEARING IMPAIRMENT

Hearing impairment is an all inclusive term which refers to any type or degree of hearing loss, ranging from mild to profound, and includes both deaf and hard of hearing individuals.

The Special Education Manual (2003) published by the Tennessee State Department of Education, Division of Special Education defines deafness and hearing impairment as:

Deafness – “a Hearing Impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.”