By Levi Traxler
My name is Brittany Schweeder. I was born and raised in Salmon Arm, BC, and I’m hard of hearing. My hearing loss is unique; it’s called a “cookie bite” as my access in the high and low frequencies is near normal but my hearing levels dip to the moderate/severe range where the “speech banana” is. I received my first hearing aids in kindergarten, but they did not work well for me, as I found they made voices compete with the background noise. (Thankfully, technology today is more advanced than it was in the 90’s!) I felt I could already hear near perfectly, and eventually by grade three I had stopped wearing my hearing aids consistently. I even went to great lengths like tossing my hearing aids in someone’s yard on my way home from school but my mom knew I wasn’t honest about losing them and I had to go retrieve them.
Professionals told my parents that because my hearing loss was mild to moderate, there was no point in learning sign language, as the town we lived in was small and lacking a Deaf community. I had speech therapy from kindergarten to grade seven and the focus was on hearing technology (i.e., hearing aids and FM system). I was essentially assimilated into the hearing world as a hearing person, not as a hard of hearing person. I wasn’t raised and taught about Deaf culture or the numerous Deaf gains; my identity as a person with hearing loss was negative and I was embarrassed.
I feel that when I attended elementary and secondary school, the teachers set really low expectations for me as a hard of hearing person. My hearing peers were challenged more, and teachers didn’t expect much of me. I internalized their perspective and my confidence was low both academically and socially.
I felt that I was deaf compared to my hearing peers growing up, but when I met deaf peers and adults I gained a better understanding of the hearing loss spectrum and what it means to be hard of hearing. In middle school I had one peer who was also hard of hearing in my grade, but their hearing loss was less than mine, so I felt deaf in comparison.
I did feel fortunate to have a Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (TODHH) growing up. She advocated for me and taught me to advocate for myself. I learned later that my TODHH told my classroom teachers that I do have potential and to raise expectations for me. The TODHH started working with me when I was really young, grade one or two, and she was my TODHH until grade 11.
When I was 15 or 16 years old, I went on a camping trip that I think was hosted by Deaf Youth Today. I was so thankful to be surrounded by peers who understood my barriers and frustrations as well as the support and tips we gave each other on how to cope in the hearing world. The camping trip was a powerful experience for me. Before the trip, I would only wear my hearing aids if I had a good hair day and my hair was down; if I felt my hair needed to be up I was so embarrassed that I would rather miss out on information then feel like a robot who was different from the rest. After attending the deaf camp, I became proud of myself and my identity was starting to become more positive. I proudly displayed my hearing aids when I returned to school. One of my peers (since kindergarten) said she didn’t know I wore hearing aids until then! She remarked that knowing I wore hearing aids explained a lot because I often appeared bored in conversations and switched topics but really it was because I had heard wrong. Attending the camp was a positive experience for me, and I want the same for other deaf/hard of hearing students. Provincial Outreach Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (POPDHH) has also done some amazing social trips for BC School for the Deaf (BCSD) and students from outside of the lower mainland.
In grade 12, I attended Burnaby South Secondary School. I took some classes in the Oral Program that was offered at that time, and many mainstream classes, while staying at the Victory Hill Dorm. On the weekends I would go back home to Salmon Arm. I felt that I was challenged a great amount at Burnaby South Secondary School and I made the decision to stay an additional year there to better prepare myself for college. Some amazing teachers had high expectations for me, so I strived to keep working on myself. It taught me to persevere, and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to improve myself. My experience with the Oral Program definitely encouraged me to pursue higher education and professional jobs, and helped me to develop a positive identity as a hard of hearing person. Living at the Victory Hill dormitory for two years was important for me socially and emotionally. I had youth workers available around the clock to help me develop life skills and independence.
When I lived in Salmon Arm I didn’t have many resources, and I wasn’t aware of the supports available. I was really fortunate to have Provincial Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services to help me navigate applying to college and obtaining funding. I was accepted into Douglas College, and during my time there I learned to communicate my needs, find allies and ask for support when needed. Provincial Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services helped me to self-advocate for Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART) which was a great fit for me. The CART person would type everything that was said in class, and I had a laptop in front of me providing the captioning, plus the captioner would email me the whole thing after the class. With the right supports in place, I was able to pursue my dream and support myself while getting a degree.
I feel that one of the biggest gains from being hard of hearing is that you get to be in both worlds, a Deaf world and a hearing world. But it’s also tricky because I feel that I am not 100% in either world. When I was in my 20s, I felt that it was tough to enter a Deaf world because of my signing skills and hearing ways. I was still learning ASL at the time, and Deaf culture, but a great group of friends took me in and were patient with me, teaching me ASL. Later on, I started working at the BC Provincial School for the Deaf. All of this means I started to become more comfortable being in the Deaf world. My hearing levels are also dropping, and I am glad I am a part of the Deaf world. Now I feel more comfortable in a Deaf environment than a hearing one, curious to see if this will change again or why.
I would suggest to the parents of deaf/hard of hearing children to attend Deaf events, meet Deaf adults, and to be exposed to their language and cultures. It doesn’t matter if the child(ren) is deaf or hard of hearing, the experience can have an everlasting impact on their childhood and self esteem. Just be aware of all of the options, and see which path your child takes. We’re fortunate to have programs to choose from, as one program does not fit all children. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your community and advocate for your kids in school and to use all available resources. I am thankful to be a part of a Deaf community and I am hopeful for the future for the next generation.
