Hearing Loss in Vermont Anywhere from 4 to 16% of Americans are
estimated to have some degree of hearing loss. In Vermont,
census indicators point to 23,625 Vermonters living with hearing
loss, including 1993 who are profoundly deaf. Causes of hearing
loss specific to Vermont are unavailable, but nationally studies
have indicated that among adults, 34% of hearing loss stems from
noise injury, while 28% comes from age and 17% comes from
infection. Only 4% was present at birth. Among young people, the
most common causes were heredity (13%), pregnancy and birth
complications (9%), and meningitis (8%). Large spikes in hearing
loss in children that previously occurred in the 1950's and
1960's due to rubella epidemics have been eliminated in the
United States by the rubella vaccine. Nationally, 96% of
children who have hearing loss have hearing parents; only 4%
have one or both parents with hearing loss. Deaf and Hard of
Hearing Education in Vermont Nationally, we know: -
Approximately 1.1 per 1000 K-12 students cu