Deaf futurity: designing and innovating hearing aids

Area of Science:

• History of Science, Medicine, and Technology (HSTM)
• Material Culture Studies
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Posthumanist visions often propose eradicating disability through technology, envisioning a 'post-deaf reality'.
• Contemporary innovations like hearing aids, vibrating vests, and sign language gloves aim to 'cure' deafness or bypass it.
• These technologies raise questions about disability, futurity, and societal representation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how hearing devices for deaf people have embodied futurity through design and technological features.
• To analyze the evolution of hearing aid aesthetics from mid-20th century fashion to 21st century industrial design.
• To explore how expanding hearing aid design beyond discretion can foster a 'crip futurity' and challenge ableist stereotypes.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of material culture and design features of hearing aids.
• Integration of concepts from crip futurity and the history of science, medicine, and technology (HSTM).
• Application of the 'disabled gaze' concept to re-evaluate hearing aid design.

Main Results:

• Mid-20th century hearing aids incorporated fashion elements, while 21st-century digital aids adopt sleek, industrial aesthetics.
• Discretion remains a dominant design feature, intended to minimize visible signs of deafness.
• The study highlights how design choices in hearing aids shape perceptions of deafness and future possibilities.

Conclusions:

• Expanding hearing aid design beyond mere discretion can open new possibilities for deaf futurity.
• Challenging ableist stereotypes requires a shift in how disability is represented in technological design.
• Embracing the 'disabled gaze' can transform societal representations of disabled individuals.