Young people living with hearing loss in the region are feeling “let down” by their schools.
They claim their concerns and specific needs during the pandemic have been ignored.
The situation was revealed in a “Hear Me Out” report commissioned by Dumfries and Galloway Hard of Hearing Group and the council’s Youth Work team.
The study states: “It was obvious that what young people were telling us differed from what services believed was happening at the service delivery end – particularly in education services.
“A major concern is the obvious impact on mental health and the increased number of young people with hearing loss being referred to mental health services.”
Among the findings of the study of 12 to 25-year-olds are that:
■ teachers have refused to wear radio microphones which would have helped students as they needed cleaning between staff usage
■ pleas for special face masks to be worn in class to help those who lip read have been ignored
■ mask wearing in general has left kids unable to understand lessons or what people are saying to them – making then feel “even more isolated and excluded.”
■ half of those who needed batteries for hearing aids or cochlear implants have been unable to get them during the pandemic
■ only half of schools or workplaces have bothered to make any adjustments to help them
■ half were unaware of any exemptions available in pandemic restrictions for those with a hearing loss.
Ann Ferguson, chairwoman of the Hard of Hearing Group said “We were so concerned about the feedback we were getting that we immediately contacted the council about the use of masks with transparent panels in classes where there was a young person with hearing loss.
“It didn’t become apparent during the remainder of the consultation that these had in fact been issued.”
Among the case studies, a 16-year-old student at the North West Campus in Dumfries said she was “frustrated at the lack of support”.
She said: “The school refused to use my radio aid as there were fears it would not be safe to use during Covid and teachers sharing it.
“This made classes so hard for me.
“My mum had a meeting with the school to try and sort but nothing was done.”
And pupil at Sanquhar Academy didn’t engage with his school during lockdown as he “couldn’t hear the online lessons”.
Since schools have returned he “doesn’t want to attend as he can’t hear anything and feels really frustrated and exhausted”.
Jennifer Wells, a trustee with the charity and young person with hearing loss herself, said: “The person who knows what they need is the young person, and each individual will have specific needs.
The on-line survey has resulted in a raft of recommendations for the way forward including the need for a dedicated youth officer to help, a new social media platform for teenagers, more lip-reading classes, educational support for those who’ve missed school, and a call for the education service to “identify all young people who have a hearing loss and listen to them when planning how best to support them.”
