AgDARE - Agricultural Disability Awareness and Risk Education

Hearing Loss - Physical Simulation

Materials Needed: video entitled "Sound Advice for Farming," earplugs for each student, one set of protective muffs

Time Frame: 7 minutes for video 8 minutes for discussion

Obtain earplugs and muffs from a local farm supply store or sporting goods store. Many times, distributors will supply them free of charge. Instruct the students in proper insertion of the earplugs by twisting the earplugs tightly, inserting them snugly into the ear canal and releasing the twist. Have the students describe how well they can hear with the plugs in place. They should be able to hear others in the room talk in a normal voice. Note: It takes 2 to 3 minutes to get used to the earplugs. Tell students they will notice a "crackling" sound as the plugs conform to their ear canal. Have one student volunteer wear the ear muffs instead of the earplugs. Have the students wear the hearing protection during the video. Allow students time to adjust to wearing the earplugs and converse with each other before showing the video.

The video will allow students to experience the variation in decibel levels without experiencing dangerous levels.

After watching the video, use the following to lead the discussion of hearing protection:

• How well can you hear when using hearing protection?
• Name three ways the video gave to protect your hearing.
• What are ways to protect hearing while around loud noises?
  increase distance from noise source, decrease time, wear protection
• Which item in the video might cause the greatest ear damage to a person?
  
  hogs or weed eater
• How would you prevent damage from this activity?
  
  increase distance, decrease time, wear protection