PURPOSE: to describe the principals characteristics of hearing impaired voice production, and analyze which aspects of vocal quality are modified by deafness. METHODS: searching the vast published literature, by a survey* in public libraries and search in indexed periodicals in Lilacs and Medline, emphasizing the studies which are related to the subject since 1971 until most recent studies. RESULTS: The results have been separated into* six categories: speech features; resonance; breathing, acoustic features; phonetic aspects and speech therapy treatment. CONCLUSION: It was possible to identify the principal features of impaired * hearing voice production. The hearing feedback and discrimination are essential for voice production, not developed in hearing impaired people, so they do not have ability to control their voice (resonance, intensity, frequency, pronunciation and breathing). The relevance of Speech Therapy is clear, as it guarantees the improvement of these communication conditions in these subjects.
Voice; Hearing; Voice Disorders; Deafness; Voice Quality