title: Preliminary results of the Annual Survey of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and Youth in Puerto Rico: the first wave.
abstract: Preliminary findings are provided from the data collected in Puerto Rico through the Annual Survey of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and Youth during the 1997-1998 school year. The study was conducted as a part of an initiative to increase participation in the Annual Survey among the deaf and hard of hearing school-age population in Puerto Rico. Demographic, instructional, etiological, audiological, and communication data on 336 deaf and hard of hearing school age children were collected and summarized. The findings suggest the existence of a heterogeneous deaf community rather than the traditionally conceived homogeneous community. The discussion emphasizes the description of those attributes that suggest heterogeneity and the urgent need to continue to collect the kind of data gathered in the survey. The authors urge that Puerto Rican educators and researchers be stimulated to address the educational and health-related needs of Puerto Rico's deaf and hard of hearing school-age population.
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders-Office of Research on Minority Health (NICDC-ORMH), Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Albertorio
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Holden-Pitt
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rawlings
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003638:Deafness / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D004519:Education, Special / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities; D011647:Puerto Rico / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data