1. Hearing limitations

An estimated 223,500 adults were deaf or had a hearing limitation that could not be eliminated by a hearing aid in 2001. This includes people with some level of hearing limitation which makes it difficult for them to hear a conversation with one other person or with a group of people, as well as people who are totally deaf.

Ninety-five percent of adults who were deaf or had a hearing limitation were living in households, the remaining 5 percent were living in residential facilities.

An estimated 18,300 children were deaf or had a hearing limitation that was currently not corrected. Nine percent of these children (1,600) used some type of equipment for hearing such as a hearing aid or FM system.

Two-thirds (66 percent) of partially or completely deaf adults in households used some type of special equipment or service related to this disability (139,500). The most common types reported were a hearing aid (59,200) and a volume control telephone (20,900).

Approximately 75 percent of partially or completely deaf adults in residential facilities used some type of special equipment or service related to this disability (8,200). The most common type reported was a hearing aid (3,700).

Twenty-one percent of partially or completely deaf adults in households had an unmet need for some type of special equipment or service related to this disability. The most common reason for this unmet need was financial.

Some 7,700 partially or completely deaf adults living in households used New Zealand Sign Language and/or Signed English, and 51,000 were able to lip read.

Most Common Types of Special Equipment or Services
Used by All Adults with Hearing Disabilities

2. Sight limitations

An estimated 81,500 New Zealand adults were blind or had a sight limitation that could not be corrected by glasses or contact lenses in 2001. Approximately 7,800 of these adults were completely blind, the rest had some level of seeing limitation that made it difficult for them to see ordinary newspaper print, or see the face of someone across the room (with glasses or contact lenses if they usually wear them).

Eighty-five percent of adults who were blind or had a sight limitation were living in households, the remaining 15 percent were living in residential facilities.

An estimated 13,200 children were blind or had trouble with their eyesight that could not be corrected by glasses or contact lenses. Seventeen percent of these children (2,300) had been diagnosed as being blind by an eye specialist.

Seventy-one percent of adults in households with sight limitations used some type of special equipment or service for people who are blind or vision impaired (49,200). The most common types reported were glasses or contact lenses (39,900) and hand-held or desk-mounted magnifiers (18,200).

An estimated 97 percent of adults in residential facilities with sight limitations used some type of special equipment or service for people who are blind or vision impaired (11,900). The most common types reported were glasses or contact lenses (5,500) and large print reading materials (1,900).

Six percent of children with sight problems used some type of equipment for seeing other than glasses or contact lenses.

Twenty-one percent of blind and vision impaired adults in households had an unmet need for some type of equipment or service relating to their disability. The most common reasons were that it was too costly or they could not afford it, and that they had never been assessed.

Most Common Types of Special Equipment or Services
Used by All Adults with Sight Disabilities

More information

This is the sixth in a series of nine snapshots presenting a selection of findings from the 2001 New Zealand Disability Survey. The survey provides an overview of disability in New Zealand. It covers people living in households and residential care facilities. The results are comparable with those from the 1996–1997 New Zealand Disability Survey.

The next snapshot, "New Zealand Disability Survey Snapshot 7: Physical Disabilities", will be published on 11 July 2002. A technical report containing information about how the survey was conducted, and tables from the 1996–1997 and 2001 New Zealand Disability Surveys was published on 30 May 2002. This report is available free on the Statistics New Zealand website: www.stats.govt.nz.

Brian Pink
Government Statistician

For technical information contact: Mary-Anne Stewart or Denise Brown Wellington 04 495 4600 Email: mary-anne_stewart@stats.govt.nz

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