Being a university student is fun. For most, it is the first time in our lives when we have complete control over our choices and schedules. It can also be difficult. Learning to manage household duties, part-time jobs, and rigorous academic curriculum can often be overwhelming. This is especially true for students who live with a hearing loss. There are many actions students with hearing loss can take to alleviate some of the stress associated with their impairment and chances are, your university will help.
In fact, if your university is a public college or receives any sort of federal funding, they are actually legally mandated to provide equal access to all on-campus activities for students with hearing impairments.
Which Law Protects my Rights as a Student with Hearing Impairment?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a landmark piece of legislation that was signed into law almost 30 years ago in 1990. In a nutshell, this law made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of disability. ADA mandates public universities (as well as employers and any public building) make appropriate accommodations to include those with disabilities – including those who are deaf or have hearing impairments.
Because ADA is such a broad piece of legislation covering many bases, there have been disagreements in how it should be interpreted. Many were having disagreements on what entailed a “disability”. For those with hearing loss, some won their case claiming hearing loss as a disability under ADA and others lost it.
To help alleviate some of this confusion, President George W. Bush signed the ADA Amendment Act (ADAAA) into law in 2008. The amended law more clearly defined disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities” (https://adata.org/faq/what-definition-disability-under-ada).
Since “hearing” is included as one of the approved “major life activities” hearing loss is now more clearly and obviously considered a disability under ADA.
What am I Entitled to as a Student with a Hearing Impairment?
Hearing loss is a protected category under ADA, meaning your university cannot discriminate against you based on your hearing impairment and must provide appropriate accommodations to help you fully participate in on-campus activities. An accommodation is simply changes to your work (or learning) processes or environment to help alleviate the barrier of disability. Every person with hearing impairment is different, and many or may not need different accommodations to participate in classes. Here are some accommodations commonly used by universities.
Live Interpretation: For students who are deaf and understand sign language, live interpretation of lectures can be requested and provided at no cost to the student. Of course this is something that will need to be arranged ahead of time.
Note-Takers: Note taking services are provided by universities to accommodate people with many different types of disabilities, including hearing loss. Depending on the college you attend, obtaining these notes can happen in different ways. Some universities upload the notes onto a password protected server, while others will ask the note-takers to send their notes directly to you through email.
Hearing Loop Systems: Some public universities (especially large lecture halls) are equipped with hearing loop systems. These systems use T-coils which magnetically send sound directly into the hearing aids or cochlear implants of listeners. Most hearing aids are equipped with T-coil technology and can be activated with a simple switch. This way, you can hear your professor speaking directly to you, through your hearing aids.
Of course, your individual needs may vary. Every university will have a disability resources center available where you can talk to a specialist to help determine which accommodations are the most appropriate for you.
Actions You Can Take on Your Own
While it is important that your university comply with ADA and provide you the accommodations you need, there are some actions you can take on your own to help lessen the burden of hearing loss. At the beginning of each semester, visit each of your professors to introduce yourself and explain your hearing loss and needs. This individual touch will go leaps and bounds if you ever miss important review information during lecture due to your hearing loss (or any other reason for that matter!). It is also important to choose a seat as close to the speaker as you can and choose smaller class sizes when possible.
To ensure that you are hearing at your best, schedule an appointment with us at Hearing Wellness Solutions for your annual hearing test or to update your hearing aids.
