Dear Rachel

I loved your letter and the way you advocate for yourself.

For those who haven't seen it, go here--http://cochlearimplantonline.com/blog/?p=90

Dear Dr. ——————,
I’m looking forward to being in your 20th Century Art History course this quarter on Mondays and Wednesdays at 8AM - 10:30 AM. I was born profoundly deaf, but I hear with an extraordinary technology, cochlear implants, and I hear like an almost normal hearing person. Because my hearing is still not perfect, I will have a few accommodations which include an assistive listening device. I will have a speaker near my desk and you will wear a microphone so that I can hear you well. I would like to meet you at least 15 minutes before class starts this Monday so that I can give you my accommodation memo and show you how to use the assistive listening device. Please let me know if this will work; otherwise we can certainly arrange a different time.
Thank you in advance,
Rachel Chaikof

By and large, I've found the majority of people really do want to accommodate us, however they often feel confused because they don't know what to do. I'm sure telling them about your equipment and what you'll need from them ahead of time goes a long way toward relieving their stress over having a deaf student in class.

I myself do this at work when we have subs or new coworkers. I know when they first learn I'm deaf, they're frightened of many things, but mainly they're afraid they will do something wrong to offend me by not accommodating me properly. Once I go over my needs, and how my equipment works I can see the relief on their faces. I also crack a few jokes, so they understand I'm not at all sensitive about my deafness.

It seems strange that we have to go to such efforts to relieve OTHER PEOPLES' anxiety, but I have learned this from the experts-- disabled people in wheelchairs. You see, since I work with the public I also sometimes feel nervous dealing with people who have special needs. If they seem comfortable with themselves and tell me what they want/need, I feel so much more confident with them.

We can't expect hearing people to bend over backwards for us without first explaining our needs. We must realize sometimes we are the very first deaf people they've ever encountered. They've seen all the stereotypical deaf people on TV and they find the situation frightening. They are wondering weird things. What will if happen if she starts signing? What if I need her attention and she can't hear me? What if I can't understand her speech? Why does she frown at me when I speak? Her hearing aid is making a loud noise, should I say something? (I have a tendency to frown at people who are difficult to lip read. It's a frown of concentration, not anger.) So I answer all these questions up front. I often show them a sign or two for fun. Everyone at my branch knows the sign for bathroom, for example. I tell them ahead that I frown when I don't understand their lips, and to pat me on the shoulder when they ask a question that I haven't responded to. This goes a long way towards helping them accept me.

You are on the right track with your letter.

It's interesting reading about your photography. My daughter also loves photography and originally thought she might major in art, or English. She couldn't decide. Then she took a psychology class and was hooked. She's in her fourth year of psych. It's going to be a long haul.