WHAT IS FATIGUE?
Fatigue is a phenomenon that is experienced when mental or physical alertness is required for extended periods of time. Unlike the hearing population, fatigue is more frequently experienced by individuals who are deaf 1 .
Students who are deaf experience fatigue daily because of the necessity for constant and ongoing physical, social-emotional, or mental effort to listen and watch both their teacher and an interpreter, to speech/lip read with peers, or attend to classroom instruction through an amplification device.
The cumulative effects of such experiences lead to poorer quality of life outcomes for Deaf students, including limiting educational and vocational choices, increased mental health concerns, and negative impacts on family and friend relationships.
Cognitive Fatigue