Onhandiscute is the part of @talentEgal where every month we take a look at a different disability or illness. As part of our plan to raise awareness, in these articles, we’re giving you some background information on each of them.

A few weeks ago, we shared a technological innovation with you that can help communication between people who can hear, the deaf community and those who are hearing-impaired.
It’s a mobile app called Roger Voice, all dreamed up by a man called Olivier Jeannel.

Remember that profound or severe deafness affects some 70 million people across the world. In France alone, around 500,000 people are hearing-impaired or deaf.

The chance of losing your hearing reaches 40% when you turn 65.
In fact, every 5 seconds, somebody loses their hearing. In certain cases, people with tinnitus are classed as having a hearing impairment.

Tinnitus is an invisible, sensory disability. Because it is often unknown or misunderstood – especially in the world of work – French company Bouygues Télécom launched an awareness-raising campaign on this very subject. Their ‘Marc&Andy’ web-series, with an intentionally offbeat and humorous approach, aims to challenge the stereotypes related to the disability. In short, the message is that once you’ve declared your disability, it’s much easier to deal with it.

But what exactly is it?

People with tinnitus have a ‘parasite’ noise that they can hear coming from one or both ears, or from their head. It can be a ringing, buzzing or clicking noise, in the majority of cases. Their symptoms are often related to acoustic trauma (in some cases having listened to very loud music) or aging of the ears. Globally, it’s thought that between 10% to 18% of people suffer from a degree of tinnitus. That figure rises to 30% among adults.

The consequences of the disorder can vary widely from person to person.
Most commonly, it leads to temporary or occasional discomfort. However, noises can become more persistent and start to affect our everyday lives. In that respect, lots of side-effects can been observed, including problems falling asleep, difficulty concentrating and anxiety.

Though there’s no specific treatment for tinnitus, there are lots of solutions that can help to reduce the stress it brings. Hearing aids have also been developed to mask tinnitus.

Would you like to find more information about tinnitus, its treatment or certain aids? Please take a look at the articles and studies available

on the following websites:

– ameli-sante.fr

– Passeportsante.net