As a child, being deaf or hard of hearing can be hard but learning to live with challenges is what makes you successful.
Be proud of who you are. Your hearing loss is a part of you but it doesn’t define you. Maybe you have a great sense of humor, are a talented artist, you’re great with numbers, you love to dance or you have a knack for all things mechanical. Remember, it’s the sum of your parts that makes you who are, not the individual parts.
It’s important to learn how to advocate for your needs. If you use listening and spoken language and amplification, learn how to tell others about your hearing loss and how they can help you to hear better in certain situations. If you use American Sign Language (ASL) or another manual language, learn how to use an interpreter and how to tell other people how they can utilize an interpreter to speak with you.
