L’incontro dello scorso 24 aprile con la Fondazione Integria ha permesso agli studenti della Scuola Media di capire quali rischi si nascondano dietro a un’esposizione prolungata al rumore e di immedesimarsi nella condizione di chi, purtroppo, già convive con problemi uditivi. Ecco il resoconto di un giovane reporter.
At 10:50, after recess, the students didn’t listen to the normal lessons, instead, they listened to a presentation presented by Dr. Businco, Dr. Longo and Dr. S. G. Gerini, a young female athlete with hearing disabilities on how noise can affect the human ear (especially those of young adults). The doctors spoke about the structure of the ear, the fact that sounds are measured in dB (decibels) through sound level meters, the scientifically supported fact that sounds over 85dB are uncomfortable for the ear, and the ways that ears can be damaged in everyday life. Then, the athlete Gerini, born deaf, explained how she managed to play soccer and beach volleyball despite having these disabilities. Through the use of a hearing aid she learned how to speak and she showed up how her hearing aid worked. After the explanation, students and teachers alike volunteered to play the famous telephone game in front of the whole packed gym. Clearly the initial sentence was completely different by the time it arrived at the last player! After that, another game was played: one of the two volunteers would put on noise-canceling headphones and try to understand what the other person was saying, answering questions similar to “What did you have for breakfast this morning?” or “What are you going to do this afternoon?” to which some students made absurd but still funny answers.
Finally, at about 13:00, the students went back to their everyday and loud lives. Through this experience, students learned about how loud noises could permanently damage their classmates’ ears.
Federico Scialla, 11 anni, Middle School