Words from the Byrd


Byrdfly likes to write rhymes.
Next year he will be in the 8th grade.
He would like to have a career as a rap performer.
We sat down with him recently to talk about his experience with hearing loss.

Q: You used to use an FM unit in school. Why did you stop?
A: Because the other kids used to make fun of me. #1: I didn't think I really had hearing loss #2: The kids were making fun of me. And #3: People thought that I was deaf and I was not deaf.

Q: Do you think it would help if the other kids knew more about hearing loss?
A: Probably.

Q: Say the kids had not been making fun of you. Say they just accepted that sometimes you needed to wear that equipment, like wearing a pair of glasses. Do you think that it helped you? Did you hear the teacher better? Did it help you with your schoolwork?
A: I could still hear the teacher without it.

Q: So you feel it didn't boost your hearing enough to make it worthwhile?
A: Wait - it did boost my hearing. I ain't gonna lie about that. I remember I used to be able to sit in the back and I would still hear the teacher's annoying voice!

Q: So now you sit up in the front which is one thing anyone with hearing loss can do so they can see the person who's speaking and hear as much as possible of what they're saying. But going back to when people first suggested that you wear the FM equipment, what did you think about it? How old were you when you first noticed you had some hearing loss? Did your mother notice it first? Maybe she was calling you to dinner and noticed that you didn't come right away?


A: No, I had no problems. I had a hearing and seeing test at my school. They said that my hearing was low. I didn't start wearing it then. Then my mother took me to my audiologist and that's when he checked my hearing and said I needed it.

Q: Did you ever wear any equipment at home? Or just at school?


A: Just at school.


Q: What advice would you give someone your age (or younger) if they just found out they had a hearing loss?


A:
1) I would be myself.

2) Just say "Come again," or "I beg your pardon," if you want people to speak up louder.

3)The support of the teachers is very essential.

Please leave a comment or a question for Birdfly.
We hope to feature some of his rhymes very soon!