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A new one-stop shop for all things hearing-related has been launched online as a result of new research by audiologists at the NIHR Nottingham Hearing Biomedical Research Unit and The Ear Foundation.
SoundSpace Online is the only website of its kind which offers a wide range of practical resources and information on hearing loss, informed by the latest research and patient guidelines.
The project aims to gather accessible information for people of all ages with hearing loss, their families, professionals working with them, as well as policy makers and funders of services in the sector - or anyone interested in learning more about hearing loss. The website provides good quality, readable and usable information, which will be constantly kept up to date.
Director of the NIHR Nottingham Hearing Biomedical Research Unit, Professor Deborah Hall, said “Research experts at The University of Nottingham are delighted to support The Ear Foundation in this project. We hope that in time, SoundSpace Online becomes the authoritative and independent source of information for busy professionals and members of the public.”
Sue Archbold, Chief Executive of The Ear Foundation said: "Hearing loss has a huge, often hidden impact on communication in today's modern world. We have the technology to transform this, but all too often the latest information is hard to find.
"That’s where SoundSpace Online comes in, bringing together a wide range of resources, provided by people who understand its impact on the lives of deaf children, young people and adults and its management."
The website has eight main sections which offer an insight on hearing loss, hearing technologies and scientific medical advances before moving onto the implications of hearing loss on specific groups: special needs, early childhood, school years, higher education and adulthood.
The first section of the website, “Impact of Hearing Loss", will be launched on Friday 17 June. This section provides an overview of hearing loss and serves as a comprehensive introduction to the sections to come.
The website is a collaboration between people with hearing loss and users of hearing devices, their families, friends, industry partners and professionals from many different disciplines, such as audiology, e-learning, social work and education.
SoundSpace Online - Section 1, 'Impact of Hearing Loss', will be officially launched at the Deaf Education Conference, organised by The Ear Foundation, at 11.30am on 17 June, 2016, at the National College for Teaching and Leadership in Nottingham.
SoundSpace Online can be found at www.earfoundation.org.uk/soundspaceonline and on Twitter @earfoundresclin #SoundSpaceOnline
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with a “distinct” approach to internationalisation, which rests on those full-scale campuses in China and Malaysia, as well as a large presence in its home city.’ (Times Good University Guide 2016). It is also one of the most popular universities in the UK among graduate employers and was named University of the Year for Graduate Employment in the 2017 The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide. It is ranked in the world’s top 75 by the QS World University Rankings 2015/16, and 8th in the UK for research power according to the Research Excellence Framework 2014. It has been voted the world’s greenest campus for four years running, according to Greenmetrics Ranking of World Universities.
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SoundSpace Online is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) with funding support from Cochlear, Oticon Medical, Medilink and the National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Hearing Biomedical Research Unit (NIHR)
The Ear Foundationbridges the gap between clinic-based services, where today's exciting hearing technologies, such as cochlear implants and bone conducting hearing implants are fitted, and home, school and work where they are used by people in daily life.www.earfoundation.org.uk
The National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Hearing Biomedical Research Unit is funded by the Department of Health to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. The NIHR is the research arm of the NHS. Since its establishment in April 2006, the NIHR has transformed research in the NHS. It has increased the volume of applied health research for the benefit of patients and the public, driven faster translation of basic science discoveries into tangible benefits for patients and the economy, and developed and supported the people who conduct and contribute to applied health research. The NIHR plays a key role in the Government’s strategy for economic growth, attracting investment by the life-sciences industries through its world-class infrastructure for health research. Together, the NIHR people, programmes, centres of excellence and systems represent the most integrated health research system in the world.