Recognition of Hearing Impairment Disability: First Comprehensive Study on the Deaf in Lebanon

Jules Joel Bakhos; Ghassan Sleilaty; Dany Khalaf; Rola Bou Serhal; Karen El Boustani; Elias Lattouf; Gerard Elie Bakhos; Nadira Samaha; Fadi Abou-Mrad

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11

Recognition of Hearing Impairment Disability: First Comprehensive Study on the Deaf in Lebanon

Jules Joel Bakhos, Ghassan Sleilaty, Dany Khalaf, Rola Bou Serhal, Karen El Boustani, Elias Lattouf, Gerard Elie Bakhos, Nadira Samaha, Fadi Abou-Mrad

Published in International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology (Volume 8, Issue 1)

Received: 25 January 2021 Accepted: 18 February 2022 Published: 28 February 2022

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Abstract

People with disabling hearing disabilities face multiple levels of daily-life challenges where access to services and information remain difficult. In Lebanon, no data is available about the hard-of-hearing individuals. The aim of the study is to reflect the current situation of the Deaf community in Lebanon, to compare it with that of the general Lebanese population and propose practical ways to improve their national status and quality of care. A snowball sampling method was used to recruit hard-of-hearing individuals over the age of eighteen, via institutions and schools for the Deaf. Participants were asked to anonymously fill a qualitative questionnaire, individually or in groups in the presence of interpreters. The analysis was descriptive, and 95% binomial exact confidence intervals were constructed to compare parameters with those of the general population. Deaf adults in Lebanon have poorer socioeconomic conditions, lower literacy levels and limited access to information. However, they appear to be physically healthier than the general population while presenting frequent mental health problems and facing discrimination and poorer access to services. There still is no valid data available about the Deaf community in Lebanon. Hard-of-hearing people remain underserved by the current Lebanese healthcare, education, employment and public systems.

Published in	International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology (Volume 8, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11
Page(s)	1-13
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Hard of Hearing, Deaf, Lebanon, Lebanese Deaf Population, Lebanese Sign Language, Law 220/2000

References

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APA Style

Jules Joel Bakhos, Ghassan Sleilaty, Dany Khalaf, Rola Bou Serhal, Karen El Boustani, et al. (2022). Recognition of Hearing Impairment Disability: First Comprehensive Study on the Deaf in Lebanon. International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, 8(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11

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ACS Style

Jules Joel Bakhos; Ghassan Sleilaty; Dany Khalaf; Rola Bou Serhal; Karen El Boustani, et al. Recognition of Hearing Impairment Disability: First Comprehensive Study on the Deaf in Lebanon. Int. J. Otorhinolaryngol. 2022, 8(1), 1-13. doi: 10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11

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AMA Style

Jules Joel Bakhos, Ghassan Sleilaty, Dany Khalaf, Rola Bou Serhal, Karen El Boustani, et al. Recognition of Hearing Impairment Disability: First Comprehensive Study on the Deaf in Lebanon. Int J Otorhinolaryngol. 2022;8(1):1-13. doi: 10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11,
  author = {Jules Joel Bakhos and Ghassan Sleilaty and Dany Khalaf and Rola Bou Serhal and Karen El Boustani and Elias Lattouf and Gerard Elie Bakhos and Nadira Samaha and Fadi Abou-Mrad},
  title = {Recognition of Hearing Impairment Disability: First Comprehensive Study on the Deaf in Lebanon},
  journal = {International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology},
  volume = {8},
  number = {1},
  pages = {1-13},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijo.20220801.11},
  abstract = {People with disabling hearing disabilities face multiple levels of daily-life challenges where access to services and information remain difficult. In Lebanon, no data is available about the hard-of-hearing individuals. The aim of the study is to reflect the current situation of the Deaf community in Lebanon, to compare it with that of the general Lebanese population and propose practical ways to improve their national status and quality of care. A snowball sampling method was used to recruit hard-of-hearing individuals over the age of eighteen, via institutions and schools for the Deaf. Participants were asked to anonymously fill a qualitative questionnaire, individually or in groups in the presence of interpreters. The analysis was descriptive, and 95% binomial exact confidence intervals were constructed to compare parameters with those of the general population. Deaf adults in Lebanon have poorer socioeconomic conditions, lower literacy levels and limited access to information. However, they appear to be physically healthier than the general population while presenting frequent mental health problems and facing discrimination and poorer access to services. There still is no valid data available about the Deaf community in Lebanon. Hard-of-hearing people remain underserved by the current Lebanese healthcare, education, employment and public systems.},
 year = {2022}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Recognition of Hearing Impairment Disability: First Comprehensive Study on the Deaf in Lebanon
AU  - Jules Joel Bakhos
AU  - Ghassan Sleilaty
AU  - Dany Khalaf
AU  - Rola Bou Serhal
AU  - Karen El Boustani
AU  - Elias Lattouf
AU  - Gerard Elie Bakhos
AU  - Nadira Samaha
AU  - Fadi Abou-Mrad
Y1  - 2022/02/28
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11
T2  - International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology
JF  - International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology
JO  - International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology
SP  - 1
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PB  - Science Publishing Group
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UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11
AB  - People with disabling hearing disabilities face multiple levels of daily-life challenges where access to services and information remain difficult. In Lebanon, no data is available about the hard-of-hearing individuals. The aim of the study is to reflect the current situation of the Deaf community in Lebanon, to compare it with that of the general Lebanese population and propose practical ways to improve their national status and quality of care. A snowball sampling method was used to recruit hard-of-hearing individuals over the age of eighteen, via institutions and schools for the Deaf. Participants were asked to anonymously fill a qualitative questionnaire, individually or in groups in the presence of interpreters. The analysis was descriptive, and 95% binomial exact confidence intervals were constructed to compare parameters with those of the general population. Deaf adults in Lebanon have poorer socioeconomic conditions, lower literacy levels and limited access to information. However, they appear to be physically healthier than the general population while presenting frequent mental health problems and facing discrimination and poorer access to services. There still is no valid data available about the Deaf community in Lebanon. Hard-of-hearing people remain underserved by the current Lebanese healthcare, education, employment and public systems.
VL  - 8
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Author Information

Jules Joel Bakhos

Division of Medical Ethics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Lebanese University (LU), Hadath, Lebanon
Ghassan Sleilaty

Faculty of Medicine, Saint-Joseph University (USJ), Achrafieh, Lebanon
Dany Khalaf

Division of Medical Ethics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Lebanese University (LU), Hadath, Lebanon
Rola Bou Serhal

Faculty of Medicine, Saint-Joseph University (USJ), Achrafieh, Lebanon
Karen El Boustani

Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese American University (LAU), Beirut, Lebanon
Elias Lattouf

Faculty of Medicine, Saint-Joseph University (USJ), Achrafieh, Lebanon
Gerard Elie Bakhos

Faculty of Medicine, Saint-Joseph University (USJ), Achrafieh, Lebanon
Nadira Samaha

Division of Medical Ethics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Lebanese University (LU), Hadath, Lebanon
Fadi Abou-Mrad

Division of Medical Ethics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Lebanese University (LU), Hadath, Lebanon

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APA Style

Jules Joel Bakhos, Ghassan Sleilaty, Dany Khalaf, Rola Bou Serhal, Karen El Boustani, et al. (2022). Recognition of Hearing Impairment Disability: First Comprehensive Study on the Deaf in Lebanon. International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, 8(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11

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ACS Style

Jules Joel Bakhos; Ghassan Sleilaty; Dany Khalaf; Rola Bou Serhal; Karen El Boustani, et al. Recognition of Hearing Impairment Disability: First Comprehensive Study on the Deaf in Lebanon. Int. J. Otorhinolaryngol. 2022, 8(1), 1-13. doi: 10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11

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AMA Style

Jules Joel Bakhos, Ghassan Sleilaty, Dany Khalaf, Rola Bou Serhal, Karen El Boustani, et al. Recognition of Hearing Impairment Disability: First Comprehensive Study on the Deaf in Lebanon. Int J Otorhinolaryngol. 2022;8(1):1-13. doi: 10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11,
  author = {Jules Joel Bakhos and Ghassan Sleilaty and Dany Khalaf and Rola Bou Serhal and Karen El Boustani and Elias Lattouf and Gerard Elie Bakhos and Nadira Samaha and Fadi Abou-Mrad},
  title = {Recognition of Hearing Impairment Disability: First Comprehensive Study on the Deaf in Lebanon},
  journal = {International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology},
  volume = {8},
  number = {1},
  pages = {1-13},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijo.20220801.11},
  abstract = {People with disabling hearing disabilities face multiple levels of daily-life challenges where access to services and information remain difficult. In Lebanon, no data is available about the hard-of-hearing individuals. The aim of the study is to reflect the current situation of the Deaf community in Lebanon, to compare it with that of the general Lebanese population and propose practical ways to improve their national status and quality of care. A snowball sampling method was used to recruit hard-of-hearing individuals over the age of eighteen, via institutions and schools for the Deaf. Participants were asked to anonymously fill a qualitative questionnaire, individually or in groups in the presence of interpreters. The analysis was descriptive, and 95% binomial exact confidence intervals were constructed to compare parameters with those of the general population. Deaf adults in Lebanon have poorer socioeconomic conditions, lower literacy levels and limited access to information. However, they appear to be physically healthier than the general population while presenting frequent mental health problems and facing discrimination and poorer access to services. There still is no valid data available about the Deaf community in Lebanon. Hard-of-hearing people remain underserved by the current Lebanese healthcare, education, employment and public systems.},
 year = {2022}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Recognition of Hearing Impairment Disability: First Comprehensive Study on the Deaf in Lebanon
AU  - Jules Joel Bakhos
AU  - Ghassan Sleilaty
AU  - Dany Khalaf
AU  - Rola Bou Serhal
AU  - Karen El Boustani
AU  - Elias Lattouf
AU  - Gerard Elie Bakhos
AU  - Nadira Samaha
AU  - Fadi Abou-Mrad
Y1  - 2022/02/28
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11
T2  - International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology
JF  - International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology
JO  - International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology
SP  - 1
EP  - 13
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2472-2413
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijo.20220801.11
AB  - People with disabling hearing disabilities face multiple levels of daily-life challenges where access to services and information remain difficult. In Lebanon, no data is available about the hard-of-hearing individuals. The aim of the study is to reflect the current situation of the Deaf community in Lebanon, to compare it with that of the general Lebanese population and propose practical ways to improve their national status and quality of care. A snowball sampling method was used to recruit hard-of-hearing individuals over the age of eighteen, via institutions and schools for the Deaf. Participants were asked to anonymously fill a qualitative questionnaire, individually or in groups in the presence of interpreters. The analysis was descriptive, and 95% binomial exact confidence intervals were constructed to compare parameters with those of the general population. Deaf adults in Lebanon have poorer socioeconomic conditions, lower literacy levels and limited access to information. However, they appear to be physically healthier than the general population while presenting frequent mental health problems and facing discrimination and poorer access to services. There still is no valid data available about the Deaf community in Lebanon. Hard-of-hearing people remain underserved by the current Lebanese healthcare, education, employment and public systems.
VL  - 8
IS  - 1
ER  -

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