What I Wish Series:

Blog #2: What I Wished Teachers Knew About Us as Hard-of-Hearing Students

Hello again! This is the second of three articles in this series. The first article focused on raising awareness within the hard-of-hearing community by sharing resources, personal experiences, and strategies for navigating hearing loss. If you haven't had the chance to read it yet, here's the link below!

Link:

As a reminder, I ask for your respect and consideration as you approach this blog. Everything I write comes from my own personal experiences. My experiences don't define what every hard-of-hearing person experiences or should experience, because everyone's journey with hearing loss is unique.

That said, I hope you enjoy reading these blogs, and I look forward to hearing each other out throughout this series!

Take the time to know us.

Ask questions. Read our accommodations. Create a classroom where we feel comfortable advocating for ourselves.

I cannot emphasize enough the impact it has when teachers genuinely take the time to understand their hard-of-hearing students. Those small conversations at the beginning of the year can completely shape our classroom experience.

Throughout my education, I have had teachers who were ableist and doubted my potential. Some even encouraged my parents to rely solely on sign language and send me to an all-deaf school.

Hearing those comments from the very people who were supposed to encourage and believe in me was incredibly discouraging, especially as a young student who was already trying to understand my own hearing loss.

Teachers have more influence than they often realize, and their words can either build a student's confidence or quietly chip away at it.

On the other hand, the teachers who pulled me aside on the first day of class to ask about me as a student, review my accommodations, or simply ask how they could best support me were the ones whose classrooms I looked forward to every day. Those conversations showed me that they cared about me as a person, not just as another student on their roster.

For any hard-of-hearing students reading this, I strongly recommend emailing your teachers before your first class. It helps them understand your accommodations and gives them a chance to get to know you beyond your hearing loss. That first impression can go a long way in building a positive relationship throughout the school year.

Be mindful when comparing us to our peers.

When I say this, I don't mean lowering expectations or treating us as less capable than everyone else. I simply mean recognizing that our learning experience may look a little different.

Sometimes things are taken out of context. There were moments when I talked to my classmates because I needed something repeated or clarified. From the outside, it may have looked like I wasn't paying attention or that I was being disruptive. In reality, I was trying my hardest to keep up with the lesson.

Moments like that made me feel guilty, almost as if I had to make up for appearing unserious as a student. But what I wish teachers understood is that hard-of-hearing students are often working twice as hard just to hear the same instructions everyone else receives. We constantly listen carefully, ask for clarification, fill in missing pieces, and make sure we don't fall behind.

I also remember asking one of my teachers to repeat the instructions during a stressful moment in class. Unfortunately, his frustration came across in his response, and for a second, I felt like I had done something wrong.

Looking back, I don't think he meant to make me feel that way. I think he simply forgot why I ask for repeats in the first place.

Because it wasn't a recurring pattern, I let it go. However, if you find yourself in a situation where this happens repeatedly, I encourage you to advocate for yourself. You deserve teachers who are patient, understanding, and willing to adjust so you can learn successfully.

Sometimes, we just need time.

Advanced classes can take time for hard-of-hearing students to adjust to, and that adjustment shouldn't be mistaken for a lack of ability.

At one point, I was one of the few students with an IEP in an advanced class. I often felt like I didn't belong because my ideas weren't considered intellectually sound, and I became hesitant to participate in discussions.

After having an honest conversation with my teacher, everything began to change. She took the time to understand where I was coming from and adjusted how participation looked in our classroom. Instead of immediately jumping into large discussions, she first incorporated more focused free writes and small-group conversations.

Those small changes made a huge difference.

Gradually, I became more confident sharing my thoughts, and before long, participating in class no longer felt intimidating. My teacher didn't lower her expectations for me. Instead, she adjusted the environment, so I had an equitable opportunity to meet those expectations.

That is something I wish every teacher knew.

Supporting a hard-of-hearing student isn't about making the class easier. It's about making the classroom accessible. Sometimes, the smallest adjustments create the biggest difference, and when teachers choose understanding over assumptions, they give students like me the confidence to succeed.