Monday, June 23, 2014

My Journey With Hearing Loss


by My Flow
                             
Recently a student in the HES program sat down to answer some questions about hearing loss, FMs and her future plans.


Q – How did you feel when you found out that you had a hearing loss?
A – I felt like I didn’t know what happened to me.  I was six years old.  I found  out by going to a place with my mom to check my hearing.
Q – What made your family think that you needed to have your hearing checked?
A – My family members noticed that I seemed to miss things that they said.
Q – How did you feel when you started to wear hearing aids?
A – I felt shy when I started to use hearing aids.  Others kids were like , “What’s that in your ear?” and they were staring at me and I didn’t like it.  I told them, "It’s  a hearing aid to help me hear and they said, “Are you deaf?”  I said, “No, but I can’t hear  well.”
Q – What did you think of the FM unit when you got it to use in school?
A – I felt embarrassed, like I didn’t want to use it.  Other kids were asking, “What’s that?”  I told them it’s a microphone for the teacher to speak into so I could hear what she’s saying.
Q- Are you still using the FM equipment?
A – No, I don’t use it because I feel that I get everything the teacher says. If teachers turn their back on me, she or he will write the information down or others might ask what he or she said.  If I still don’t understand, then I will ask.
Q – What advice would you give to kids who are just finding out that they have a hearing loss?
A – I’ll tell them, “Don’t worry, things will get better cause people will get used to it.”
Q- What are your future plans?
A-My future plans are to become a basketball player in high school and college.  After that I would like to pursue a career in acting and dancing.