With the new school year now in full swing, here are the top 5 things youth with hearing loss should do!
Seating
If you just started school you might notice that you could have assigned seats. If you’re at the back, it may cause trouble with hearing directions from the teacher, so an easy solution would be to ask the teacher if you could move upfront.
Batteries
If you have hearing aids or some sort of device that helps you hear, you would have to charge the device or the batteries that power it. Making it a habit to charge your hearing devices every night will ensure that you won’t have trouble hearing in school. If your hearing device doesn’t use rechargeable, make sure to always back extra backup batteries for school. (This has been a life saver for me so many times! -Yaduraj)
Advocacy
People you might not know might ask you about your hearing loss. If you make a quick presentation to the class about your hearing loss, they might be more aware of it in the future.
Communication
During this pandemic, things have gotten tricky for us as we have to wear a mask where ever we go. In school, the teachers and students have to wear masks to school. This may make voices sound muffled and hard to understand. A solution is to ask the person to repeat clearly or come closer.
Ask your parents
if they have IEP Individualized education / 504 set for you. The parents should be talking to the school district about this. It is last but not least, the most critical aspect.
-Aaron Sharma
Aaron is a 5th grader at Uwchlan Hills Elementary School.
He is a cochlear implant-wearer and proud volunteer at 3 Tiny Bones.
Sources: sources – https://www.washington.edu/accesscomputing/what-difference-between-iep-and-504plan#:~:text=The%20Individualized%20Educational%20Plan%20(IEP,specialized%20instruction%20and%20related%20services.