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To purchase a standard behind-the-ear hearing aid, the retail price is approximately US$500-$1,000. Hearing tests cost another US$25-$35, and hearing aid batteries run US$7 per package. On top of these costs, there are additional expenses for hearing aid maintenance and repair. With the average Oaxacan family earning less than US$5,000 a year, many individuals with hearing loss have no other choice than to go without treatment, thus severely limiting their opportunities in life.
The Mexican government provides little assistance to hearing-impaired people in Oaxaca. The overburdened, government agency, Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF), offers by lottery only 50 free-of-cost hearing aids per year to clients. Patients in the DIF system may also receive inexpensive hearing tests, but the agency's audiometers and other diagnostic equipment are in a near constant state of disrepair.
Providing a patient with hearing aids is just the first step in the ongoing process of rehabilitation. Patients must be taught not only how to use and maintain their hearing aids, but they also require assistance and support in learning to communicate and operate within the hearing community. This is achieved through ongoing education and therapy tailored to the needs and circumstances of each patient. Few organizations in Oaxaca provide education geared explicitly toward deaf children.
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Read our annual report
here |
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watch video |
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We need you!
CORAL depends on people like you to continue helping children with speech and hearing problems.
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CORAL team by being a volunteer or doing your social service with us?
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