| We rely on our abilities to see, hear, and speak as | | | | can see, including peripherals. If you suffer from a |
| major methods of communication. If one of these | | | | disorder or injury that narrows your field of vision, you |
| abilities is lost through an illness or injury, it can make | | | | may have a disability. Additionally, abnormalities of the |
| you feel like you are alone in the world. Sometimes, | | | | eye, brain, or visual nerve can affect your visual acuity |
| surgery and therapy can help you regain your sight, | | | | and field of vision as well. |
| hearing, or ability to speak, but this is not guaranteed. | | | | If you have a vision problem, you may be able to have |
| Because disabilities in these areas can greatly hinder | | | | surgery to help correct the problem. However, if your |
| your ability to work, you may be able to prove that | | | | vision in your better eye is still less than 20/200 after |
| you deserve disability coverage from the Social | | | | any correction you can receive, the SSA may decide |
| Security Administration. | | | | that this serves as a visual disability. |
| The Social Security Administration, or SSA, will look at | | | | As for hearing impairments, you may lose your hearing |
| your problem and determine if it truly inhibits you from | | | | or the ability to discern speech. If your hearing is not |
| working and earning an income. If so, the SSA may | | | | restored or at least helped by a hearing aid, you may |
| award you one of two types of disability coverage in | | | | be entitled to disability coverage. Additionally, diseases |
| order to help you with your living expenses and | | | | that affect your inner ear, such as tinnitus and |
| medical bills so that you can live the life that you | | | | Meniere's disease can also deserve coverage. |
| deserve. In the process of examining your problem, the | | | | The inability to create sustainable, understandable |
| SSA will compare your issue with its Listing of | | | | speech can greatly hinder your ability to work. A |
| Impairments. This list contains certain standards that | | | | speech disorder can be due to physical impairments |
| typically guarantee coverage. | | | | as well as neurological issues. However, if you are |
| When the SSA looks at vision disorders, they examine | | | | unable to speak in a way that can be heard and |
| two main things: visual acuity and visual field. | | | | understood, as well as maintained for a long amount of |
| Sometimes, the Social Security Administration will also | | | | time, you may be eligible for disability for a speech |
| look at visual efficiency. Visual acuity refers to your | | | | disorder rather than a neurological or craniofacial |
| ability to see details and small items, such as the print in | | | | problem. |
| a book. Visual field is the area that a normal person | | | | |