Category: DHH Stories (page 2)

Janna Cowper

Janna’s Story

I self-identify as….

Hard of Hearing

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Running, biking, dancing, community theater

Please tell us about your earliest years of life related to your hearing, identification etc.

I have a moderate to profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. It’s genetic in our family with a 50/50 chance of being passed on. If you get the gene, then you have a 50/50 chance of passing it on. If you don’t get the gene, then you never pass it down. My parents suspected from birth that I would or may have a hearing loss, however I responded well right away, and showed signs of hearing loss later when I was around 2.

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Crosby’s Story

I self-identify as….

Hard of Hearing (if CI’s are on), deaf (if CI’s are off)

Please share a little about your education placement & extracurricular activities as a youth.

I was mainstreamed (no need to move), stayed consistent throughout K-12. I received FMs (microphones and speakers) and CART. I was involved with some extracurriculars such as Key Club.

Please tell us about your relationships with DHH peers as a youth and how they impacted your life.

I have several close friends DHH friends from CCHAT, a preschool we went to together. When we went our separate paths, we found ways to meet and otherwise maintain our friendships – one being through the annual attendance of DHH Family Camp, one of my fondest memories. We are friends even now, over 20 years later. Both CCHAT and DHH Family Camp were vital to maintaining my connections to my DHH peers.

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Amanda Goyne

Amanda’s Story

I self-identify as….

Deaf

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

One of my favorite things to do is to explore new places and experience different cultures. I had some great opportunities to travel in the past several years and it has really opened my eyes to how different the human experience can be in other places. Last year, I went to Russia, Cuba, Sierra Leone and lots of Scandinavian places. That being said, if I’m not hiking, you might find me pretending to be a travel agent. It definitely requires a bit of creativity to maintain social distancing with the coronavirus pandemic and to my figure it out with my call schedule, but we make it work with small local excursions!

Please tell us about your earliest years of life related to your hearing, identification etc.

I don’t have a memory of the experience of hearing loss, but from what I’ve been told, I was an “obstinate” child and didn’t follow directions in pre-school. This prompted a hearing evaluation when I was three years old that revealed a progressive sensorineural hearing loss of unknown etiology. I have a profound sensorineural hearing loss, which requires the use of behind-the-ear hearing aids.

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Delanie Harrington

Delanie’s Story

I self-identify as….

Hard of hearing, deaf (not Deaf), disabled.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Reading and writing, music (listening and playing), board games.

Please tell us about your earliest years of life related to your hearing, identification etc.

I was tested very young, and doctors initially failed to recognize that I was deaf. They told my parents I was “slow.” Eventually, my nana noticed that I specifically didn’t respond when I was facing away from a person, and so my parents had me tested again when I was 2. They were told that I was moderate-severely deaf (sensorineural), and I got my first set of hearing aids. It is most likely from Enlarged Vestibular Aqueducts (EVA). I got my cochlear implant at 8. My parents spoke with many people, and fortunately, they were good friends with a teacher of the deaf. After they chose to raise me orally, I attended CCHAT preschool for spoken language for deaf children.

Continue reading “Delanie’s Story”…