Ethan T

Over the course of my life, my hearing loss has been an academic horror story. When I was in preschool, we found out about my hearing loss and I was not allowed to come to the preschool because of it. The main reason as to why, I believe, is because the teachers did not have the resources available to them to be able to accommodate for my hearing loss. In elementary school, I would always want to sit in the front of the classroom in order to hear the teacher more clearly even with my hearing aids in. Not only did I have issue like that in the classroom, but I was also bullied by other students because of my hearing loss, and in turn I did not want to come to school very much, there have even been times that thought of killing myself because of the way I was treated because of being different. Then came middle school, and my life turn around. I was able to sit in front of class, I got good grades, and I was in sports; but the most important thing that happened in middle school was that I got to meet other kids that were hearing impaired like myself, and that made me feel like I was no longer alone in the world having to face this very problem. The only difficulty I had back in middle school was in sports, my hearing loss inhibited me from being able to follow instructions from the coaches well. Now in high school, I am able to get help if I need it for my classes, I can do nearly everything a normal student can do now in comparison to what I’ve had to go through in order to get here. The teachers now have the ability to compensate for my hearing loss, the people who used to bully me back in elementary don’t bother me, and my hearing aids can now sync with my phone and allow me to listen to music I have stored on it. My life went from a downhill, moderate slope to an uphill jump incline in just a few years. There is not telling were my hearing loss will lead me on life’s journey, but wherever it takes me I’m sure to go and make it something worth being alive for, at least for me.