As with blindness, deafness can have numerous causes. Trauma to the head or auditory apparatus at any point along the pathway from the auditory receptors to the auditory cortex can result in hearing impairment or loss. Non-traumatic causes include hereditary and non-hereditary disorders affecting prenatal development of the auditory system. Postnatally, hearing impairment can be caused by environmental factors such as exposure to excessively loud noises (e.g., loud machinery, music, weaponry). Speech and language development, which are dependent on accurate hearing, may be affected in individuals with untreated hearing impairment in early childhood. Noise-induced hearing loss generally occurs AFTER language development so that speech may be unaffected. Depending on the cause and degree of impairment, treatment may include hearing aids to amplify sound waves or a cochlear implant. Speech and language therapy may include learning to communicate with sign language.

Some individuals with hearing impairments compensate for the loss of hearing by becoming more sensitive to other sensory information such as visual and tactile stimuli. This is a feature that is frequently incorporated into films. In some ways, hearing loss appears to be be more isolating than loss of vision. With reduced visual input, an individual is still continuously aware of the external world as long as he or she is conscious, whereas with reduction or absence of auditory stimuli, the external world can be more readily excluded by focusing on a task or even closing one's eyes. It becomes easier literally - as well as figuratively - to dance to the beat of one's own inner drummer (dance scene in Children of a Lesser God). The theme of alienation - whether self-imposed or through the actions of others - is evident in all films of this group.

Water imagery appears as a significant feature in several films from this group, including When the Whales Came and Children of a Lesser God, perhaps because as a medium, water renders familiar auditory stimuli irrelevant and thus levels the playing field, as it were, between hearing and non-hearing individuals. In such an environment, non-hearing individuals have an advantage due to increased sensitivity of other senses. In another sense, "water" also plays the liberating element of The Miracle Worker, as when Helen finally makes the connection between the object "water" and the sign for "water" with her teacher at the pump.

Finally, we must also consider that "hearing" is often used as a metaphor for "listening." Therefore, in films featuring a character who is non-hearing, look for signs of who else is not "hearing" or listening to what is being said or meant. Thus paradoxically, speech and sound take on an even greater importance in the films. Likewise, look for enhanced visual and textual quality to reflect enhanced visual and tactile sensation in those characters with hearing impairments.

Each of the films depicts a different role for the deaf characters - as mentor (When the Whales Came and The Miracle Worker), student (The Miracle Worker), son (Mr. Holland's Opus), maestro (Immortal Beloved) and leading lady/romantic interest (Children of a Lesser God). Enhance your understanding by considering and discussing the following questions after viewing these films:

• Do you think this was a realistic portrayal of deafness? Why or why not?
• How was the character's impairment a challenge? A benefit? Did the character exhibit enhancement of other senses such as vision or touch? Give examples.
• In what ways was the non-hearing character alienated from other characters in the film? Was this self-imposed or imposed by others?
• How was the playing field levelled? In other words, in what situation would the deaf character be at an advantage and other characters be deaf?
• In what ways were other characters in the film "not hearing" or "not listening?"
• If you became deaf, what kinds of changes would you make in your life?
• If you watch two or more of these films, compare and contrast how the deaf characters met their unique challenges. Also, did they perceive their deafness in similar or different ways?