First-ever global survey done in partnership with professor Connie Mayer from the Faculty of Education at 91亚色's Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher Education program

put out by 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Education and the Cochlear Implant International Community of Action (CIICA), a user advocacy organization, shows that most deaf and deafened adults who have cochlear implants are satisfied with them, but significantly more follow-up and lifelong supports are needed.

鈥淚f we are to make the most of this amazing development in global hearing health, we need also to ensure that the one million cochlear implant (CI) users around the world are fully supported in the long term 鈥� and it is not only those with deep pockets who can afford to have this life enhancing support,鈥� says , who has been working in deaf education for nearly 40 years and is the academic coordinator for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher Education Program at 91亚色.

Cochlear implantation requires surgery to implant a receiver in the inner ear, and the fitting of an external processor to enable the user to hear. Profoundly deaf users found that the implants transformed their abilities to hear and communicate in everyday life. As one user commented, 鈥�Going back to listening is priceless 鈥� my life has been completely changed for the better.鈥�  

The resulting report, which will be presented at an online webinar Nov. 20 by Mayer and collaborators from CIICA, indicates that 96 per cent of CI users expressed overall satisfaction with their implants and although the same number says they were satisfied with the services they received, the survey also revealed where services were lacking.

 The report found that users often struggled to get appropriate support and rehabilitation after surgery as they learned to use their implant, with more than a quarter receiving no rehabilitation support and nearly a third feeling they did not have enough support. Users are reliant on their CI for everyday communication and required lifelong technical support for the external parts of the device: 鈥�I need services so that my CI will work and be supported right up to the day I die.鈥�

Significant numbers reported issues with follow-up support, mostly related to lack of funding. 鈥淯sers need support for rehab and ongoing management of the technology including processor upgrades and spare parts such as cables and cords. So if there鈥檚 no funding for that follow-up, that鈥檚 a big problem,鈥� says Mayer.

The report鈥檚 authors call for significant changes in the way CI services are provided by health systems to ensure that these deaf and hard of hearing adults can retain their independence and that health and social care systems save on the increased burdens that would otherwise result.

鈥淭his survey gives us a picture of the life-changing impact of this technology from the perspective of the users themselves 鈥� a message that needs to heard.鈥�

The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher Education Program at 91亚色 has been around for 30 years and is the only one of its kind in Ontario and one of only a few in Canada. It provides training and accreditation to qualified teachers who are looking to work with deaf and hard of hearing students.

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Professor Connie Mayer has been appointed as an Honorary Professor in Human Communications, Development and Hearing with the School of Health Sciences in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at The University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. The appointment is from September 2018 to September 2021 and is in recognition of the ongoing collaborative work and research that Mayer has been doing at the University of Manchester.

During her appointment, Mayer will continue to work on various projects with her colleagues, Dr. Helen Chilton and Dr. Wendy McCracken, including an investigation of Theory of Mind (ToM) in the written language of deaf students. A paper on this topic was recently published in the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, and two follow-up studies are underway鈥攐ne of which involves collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Another major project that Mayer will be working on with her colleagues in Manchester during her appointment is a 2-day conference, Deaf Children Now: Changing the Conversation, scheduled for June 24 and 25th, 2019. The conference will bring together world-renowned specialists from the fields of Deaf Education, Speech and Language, Audiological Science and Audiotechnology, Genetics and Neurology/Behavioural Sciences with the aim of working across disciplines to better support deaf children and their families. Mayer will be giving a keynote presentation on the topic of literacy development in deaf learners.

Mayer is co-academic coordinator in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher Education program in the Faculty of Education. Prior to coming to 91亚色, she worked for more than twenty years as a consultant, administrator and teacher of deaf students from preschool through post-secondary. Her current research focuses on early literacy and early intervention, cochlear implantation, bilingualism, and models of teacher education, including an ongoing SSHRC funded study investigating the literacy achievement of school-aged deaf learners.

She has presented widely on these topics both nationally and internationally as well as having authored numerous journal articles and book chapters.聽Her co-authored book, Early Literacy Development in Deaf Children, published by Oxford University Press was released in June 2015. In 2016 she was awarded the Sister Mary Delaney Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her work in teaching, research and service in the preparation of teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing by the American College Educators of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

鈥淭he Faculty of Education is thrilled to congratulate Professor Connie Mayer on this exceptional honour," said Dr. Heather Lotherington, Associate Dean, Research in the Faculty of Education.聽 "Professor Mayer鈥檚 thoughtful research has profoundly affected educational practice and, moreover, the individual lives of children and adults who are deaf and hard of hearing, to the point where she is acclaimed鈥攁nd claimed鈥攁cross continents. The Faculty of Education stands tall in the world of Deaf Education, and credit is due to our outstanding professors. Bravo Connie!鈥�

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