The Swedish Association of Hard of Hearing Young People (Unga Hörselskadade – UH)

The Swedish Association of Hard of Hearing Young People (UH) is an organisation for young people who are hard of hearing. We cater to people up to the age of 30, offering meeting places for children and young people with hearing impairments to meet, have fun and develop on their own terms without being hindered by impairment. The term ‘hard of hearing’ refers to hearing impairment, tinnitus, hyperacusis, Meniere’s disease, deafness or any of the other varieties. It is vital that children and young people meet others in the same situation and find role models and inspiration for not allowing themselves to be hindered by being hard of hearing.

We have national and local level meeting places. On the national level, we offer camps, courses and conferences that are open to everyone in Sweden. Locally, we have associations that organise activities for residents of the area. We are always striving to make our meetings available to all our members, but at times, certain activities may be geared for a particular age group. Most of our activities are held in spoken Swedish or Swedish sign language.

We also work toward bringing about a society that is better for children and young people who are hard of hearing, a society that respects their rights. As part of these efforts, we collect and disseminate knowledge about young people and hearing impairment. We also have a running discussion with authorities and politicians who make decisions that impact the lives of hard of hearing young people.