The Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) is designed to assess a range of hearing disabilities across several domains, including speech hearing, spatial hearing, and other qualities of hearing. The SSQ focuses on hearing speech in various competitive contexts, directional and distance judgments, movement perception, sound segregation, identification, clarity, naturalness, and ease of listening. The scale was applied to 153 new clinic clients before hearing aid fitting, revealing that the greatest difficulties were experienced with simultaneous speech streams, ease of listening, listening in groups and noise, and judging distance and movement. The SSQ ratings were compared with an independent measure of handicap, showing that identification, attention, effort problems, and spatial hearing problems are prominent in the disability-handicap relationship. The results highlight the importance of temporal and spatial dynamics in hearing disability and suggest that the SSQ is a promising tool for evaluating interventions, particularly those involving binaural function. The study also examines the interrelationships among the items of the scale, revealing that different functions of hearing covary with each other and with other functions. The findings underscore the need for a broader understanding of hearing disability that includes both auditory and cognitive factors.The Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) is designed to assess a range of hearing disabilities across several domains, including speech hearing, spatial hearing, and other qualities of hearing. The SSQ focuses on hearing speech in various competitive contexts, directional and distance judgments, movement perception, sound segregation, identification, clarity, naturalness, and ease of listening. The scale was applied to 153 new clinic clients before hearing aid fitting, revealing that the greatest difficulties were experienced with simultaneous speech streams, ease of listening, listening in groups and noise, and judging distance and movement. The SSQ ratings were compared with an independent measure of handicap, showing that identification, attention, effort problems, and spatial hearing problems are prominent in the disability-handicap relationship. The results highlight the importance of temporal and spatial dynamics in hearing disability and suggest that the SSQ is a promising tool for evaluating interventions, particularly those involving binaural function. The study also examines the interrelationships among the items of the scale, revealing that different functions of hearing covary with each other and with other functions. The findings underscore the need for a broader understanding of hearing disability that includes both auditory and cognitive factors.