Families of children with hearing impairment face exclusion from aid from the Ministry of Education due to the requirement of a disability certificate with a degree higher than 25%. This limits access to educational assistance, such as language and pedagogical aid of 913 euros each, which could benefit these students.
Families have been demanding for years that educational administrations be able to certify the special needs of children with hearing impairment instead of relying solely on the disability certificate. They criticize the application of a medical criterion that does not consider the educational needs of minors, leaving out a high percentage of children with hearing loss.
The cost of therapies for these children ranges between 3,000 and 4,500 euros per year, without any public aid. Associations point out that the requirement for a disability certificate is exclusionary and leaves thousands of families unprotected, as existing aid does not cover the totality of the necessary resources.
Children with hearing impairment need support such as speech therapy, psychopedagogy, or psychology, which can cost up to 35 euros per hour of session. In Andalusia, 5.1% of students in regular schools have Special Educational Needs (SEN). The families of these children are forced to fully cover these extracurricular resources.
The Spanish Confederation of Families of Deaf People denounces the injustice of excluding children with hearing loss from aid from the Ministry of Education, despite presenting recognized special educational needs. Royal Decree 163/2025 establishes the requirements to access scholarships and study aids for the upcoming school year, leaving aside a significant number of Andalusian minors with SEN. The provinces with the highest rate of students with SEN in integration are Seville, Malaga, and Cadiz.
