What does Deafness Sound Like?

Contrary to popular understanding, many deaf people have some residual hearing, allowing them limited access to sound, and, for some, with the use of assistive technology, speech.  For deaf people, these sounds are not received or processed in their entirety, and will therefore not sound the same as they do to hearing people. Additionally, it is important to note that amplification via hearing aids or other technology can only go so far.  The effect can be likened to listening to the radio: turning up the volume on a staticy station will not necessarily make it clearer, and eventually will just produce loud, unintelligible and potentially painful results.

Listen to this video to experience what different levels of hearing loss sound like: