Owen, 7, lives in Minnesota in a gray house in the country with his mom, dad, older brothers Holden and Chase, two dogs, one cat, and a beta fish. Owen is an avid sports fan whose favorite teams are the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins, and Luverne Cardinals. When Owen was born, he had normal hearing, but when he was just a baby, he had a high fever and rode on a helicopter to the hospital. After the fever, he couldn’t hear anymore. He went to the Mayo Clinic and got two co

HOW does Faith hear? With her Elsa-style braid, a microphone in hand, and two hearing aids! All About Me Hi, I’m Faith, a 10th grader from Midland, Texas. I am a self-proclaimed type-A, ambitious 16-year-old who loves being involved in my local community. I am part of my church’s youth group, choir, and youth band. In school, I am on the tennis team, in honor band, and class secretary. My favorite things to do are write and make music. Hearing My Way I received my hearing los

Madelyn, a talented athlete and high school senior, has played volleyball for four years. Although she faced obstacles due to her hearing loss, Maddie refused to let these challenges interfere with her love for the game. In junior high, Maddie hid her hearing aids and refused to use assistive devices. As a result, she suffered from auditory fatigue. Now 17, Maddie has learned to accept her hearing loss. She has new hearing aids, wears her hair up, and uses assistive technolog

My Dream Career When I was six, I was diagnosed with a profound sensorineural hearing loss in my right ear—or single-sided deafness. The doctors believe that I was born with hearing loss, but since I have normal hearing in my left ear, I was able to learn to listen and talk. In high school, I received a bone-anchored hearing aid (Baha). It helps me with sound awareness on my right side because it sends the signal to my ‘good ear’. After I received my Baha, I began to think au

Mitch is a graduate student in deaf education at the Program in Audiology and Communication Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. He has a profound hearing loss and wears bilateral cochlear implants. My Dream Career I have a profound hearing loss and wear bilateral cochlear implants. I attended Child’s Voice, a school for the deaf in Chicago that gave me the tools to hear and talk. Because of the huge impact the school had on my life, I’ve decided that I want to be

Jorge's How-To Guide: Becoming Your Own Advocate Jorge Delgado and his teachers were thrilled when they got the opportunity to pilot 24 Phonak Dynamic Soundfield Systems at their school. But what happens when you have amazing technology in your hands, and no one knows how to use it yet? 17-year-old Jorge took it upon himself to learn how to assemble each soundfield system, train each general education teacher receiving the technology, and transform his school in the process.

HOW does Jorge hear? With an outgoing personality, a can-do attitude... and a bone anchored hearing aid! All About Me Hi, I’m Jorge, and I am 18-years-old. I recently graduated high school in Riverside, California and just began my freshman year at Rochester Institute for Technology-NTID in New York. I am studying to be a Physician Assistant because I love helping people! Hearing My Way I was born with microtia in one ear, which causes single-sided hearing loss because I have

An IEP is designed to help you, the student, but are you ready to attend your IEP meeting?Get ready for the new school year with our IEP Guide! Individualized Education Plan (IEP): Action steps for you and your teachers to help you achieve your goals. IEP Meeting: A yearly meeting to discuss your progress, set new goals, and plan accommodations. IEP team: A group of people that meets to create and update the IEP, typically including your parents, teacher of the deaf, case man