Deaf Consumers’ Use and Integration of Assistive Technology

In the United States, approximately 15.5% of adults (44.1 million people) report some level of hearing loss, while 3.6% (11 million) identify as being deaf or severely hard of hearing (Hernandez, 2023). Despite advancements in assistive technologies, such as hearing aids and cochlear implants (Troast, 2024), research has largely overlooked the impact of these technologies on users’ self-views and, ultimately, on their ability to perform everyday tasks. The present research addresses this gap by examining how deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals’ views toward their own disability impact their use of and interaction with assistive technology, ultimately shaping their beliefs and expectations about their abilities on everyday tasks.