I'd like some smaller hearing aids, but from what the audi told me, Rehabilitation Services only pay for the 'old people' hearing aids you described. I have considered just going sound off and using my limited ASL (I took ASL 1 when I really started to notice my hearing getting worse and I got an A. For the other students there, it was just a grade, for me it was assurance for future loss. Better to learn some ASL while you can hear a bit than when you can't I guess.)
I totally agree - I started taking ASL 1 with some hearing loss but not yet in dire need and I'm VERY glad I did. Another benefit in my mind is that many of my friends from my new college when I moved as well as from my old college during the thick of my adaptation into worse hearing were FROM this class.... the deafness was a non-issue because of where we met. When I transferred to my new school having the highest level of ASL classes was a must not only because I wanted more upper level classes but also because I knew there would be more students there who knew ASL instead of that awkward "wanna be my friend? your sign language looks cool! We have nothing in common but I want to know that language!" haha I wanted to fit in and have more in common with my peers.
They want the documents and they want to know what services I require. I sounded like an idiot in my reply because I have no idea what services I need since I don't really know what the school has. I had to admit the SDV 101 class I took a week or so ago, that I couldn't hear them and basically surfed the web the whole time.
Surfing the web the whole time - isn't that what most people do through college? haha jk. I always felt like everyone in undergrad was on facebook or playing the school newspaper's soduku....
I'm retaking a class I tried to get dual credit in high school but failed this semester, but it has a lab and it, like my other classes are fairly large, meaning plenty of excess background noise, meaning I won't be able to hear through it at all. I have plenty of concerns due to so many uncertainties and new changes, so please be patient with me.
I went through a whole lot of ear pain and ear pressure so I didn't want anything in my ears through the beginning of my hearing loss.... but I do now currently use a hearing aid. I know theres technology out there that helps you deal (sort of) with sound in noise. My HA has a setting to narrow down the speech to whats in front of me. There are also microphones that help with hearing one voice clearer in a busy room instead of just the general program for "whatever's in front of you" - sorry I don't know the name of the technology, I don't own it because I don't need it for my job/lifestyle. My CI is coming with a lapel microphone for that sort of situation.... should be easy to look up or ask your audi. Ah or I have an idea!!! If everyones surfing the web the whole time can you get a buddy to type up their notes on a screen next to you? I have followed lectures without interpreters this way.... they're going to take notes anyway.... people are usually faster/clearer typers than writers.... might help you follow closer to real time as right now you're not comfortable with ASL yet. PS - the right terp can be awesome. I used them a few classes into my ASL for the "easy to interpret classes" - self defense & mathematics... then I eased into the more complex and vocab-thick courses as I got better and faster in ASL. I had 2 terps who worked with me most frequently because during downtime in the course work they also enjoyed teaching me slang and related vocab.
