Deaf Acoustics: Listening Through Hearing Aids with Thomas Edison.

Authors

Mara Mills

Published in

Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology : JARO. Jun 30, 2026. Epub Jun 30, 2026.

Abstract

The history of hearing aids is rife with examples of deaf invention, "sonic skills," and other expertise on the parts of deaf and hard of hearing people-whether they were celebrated figures like Thomas Edison, forgotten deaf scientists and engineers, or lay experts. This article, a contribution to the roundtable from the field of history of science, examines correspondence about hearing aids in the Edison archives to argue that Edison and his deaf interlocutors have much to tell us about deaf acoustics: the innovations or insights offered by deaf and hard of hearing people that have contributed to the suite of scientific approaches to sound (i.e., acoustics) including engineering, architecture, physiology, and psychology.

PMID:
42377828
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 30 Jun 2026.

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