Growing up in the 1980s, the message that I could achieve as much as my typical-hearing peers just did not exist. I can distinctly remember a school administrator telling my mother that I was going to struggle in my classes, as if I wasn’t even there in the room (and I heard him loud and clear).
A Community, Shared
Like others with hearing loss I still sometimes have to fake being able to fully hear, but I have gained much more confidence and do not hesitate to ask people to recognize my hearing loss and make accommodations. I stay current on the newest technology for hearing loss and look forward to receiving this magazine to catch up on the HRP’s research efforts and each year’s new Emerging Research Grants scientists.
A Lesson in Resilience
One of my earliest memories is answering the telephone for my mother. She taught me to do this when I was only 2 1/2 years old. I’d say to the caller, “Take a message for Mommy?” Then I repeated what the caller said, my mother responded, and we handed the phone back and forth as the conversation went along.
A Perpetual Disconnect Online
The COVID-19 mandated transition to online learning has not been easy for most students, whether in elementary school, high school, or university. I am a college sophomore and the experience has been disruptive. Campus life is imperative to most university students, and a global health crisis means that university life has been put on hold.
Moving on From Ménière's
About eight years ago when I was 46, a few days after having a very stressful cataract surgery, I started to trip over my own feet. My balance has never been very good, but this was out of the ordinary, even for me. I had to ask my husband to come home from work to take care of our 8-year-old son. After the attack passed, I noticed that I wasn't hearing very well out of my right ear. I went to the doctor, who thought it was a sinus infection and gave me an antibiotic.
Hearing Is Believing
I lost my hearing suddenly and in both ears at age 21. It was May 1957. I was on lunch break with friends and heading back to the Boston ad agency where we worked. Suddenly I pitched forward, losing my balance. The hearing in my left ear disappeared. Days later, my right ear lost nearly all hearing too.
A Texas Accent?
I had hearing problems all my life and speech therapy through grade school. I always say that it was as a result of speech therapy that I do not really have a Texas accent! (Although some people would disagree.) I don't know why I didn't have hearing aids as a child, but I always sat in the front seats of classrooms to be sure to hear.
Getting the Details Right
The first time I ever saw a cochlear implant, it was on the shaved head of my new neighbor, a kindly retired librarian. I actually thought it was some kind of fancy Bluetooth device. I was that clueless. My education came quickly enough, though.
Teaching by Example
I am open with my students about my hearing loss. I want them to be as comfortable with it as I am, and understand it requires some adjustment on their part, just as it does on mine. In order to hear them I have to ask for silence in the classroom when another student is speaking, because background noise is a killer when I am trying to listen to someone individually.
True Talent Comes in All Forms
We can’t let other people dictate who we are, only you know who you are and what you can do. I want to prove to myself and show others what I can accomplish and succeed at despite my hearing loss. Another motivation is seeing the lack of individuals with disabilities in TV and film. There are some actors who are deaf or hard of hearing, but they represent a very small percentage of the entertainment industry.