Status of People with Hearing Loss in Korea: Findings of from the 2000 to 2020 Nationwide Survey of People with Disabilities

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand the status of people with hearing loss in Korea based on findings from a nationwide survey of people with disabilities. The study investigated the statistics of people with hearing loss among the nationwide survey of people with disabilities from 2000 to 2020. Hearing loss population has been increased for the past 20 years and more than 70% of registered people with hearing loss in this study were over the age of 60. Cost issue was the main reason for not purchasing assistive devices (54%). Forty-seven point seven percent of respondents reported that communication difficulty was the reason for discomfort in outdoor activities. People with hearing loss reported that the highest the highest rate of discrimination experience (40.4%) from their peers during their school lives. They also felt that they did not receive much national support after registering their disability. 37% of the respondents used the national medical insurance in Korea for their assistive devices. National support for hearing loss should be considered from multiple aspects.