Many HC students may not know, but our school has a profound program for students that are hard of hearing, which features four students with multiple aids and interpreters. HC serves as the district’s hub for students who are hard of hearing, meaning the program draws in students from all across the city. While many people hold common knowledge about students who are hard of hearing, teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing Toni Sloas fully understands what a day is like at HC for a student who is hard of hearing, and describes her role in the program.
“[Our program does] both research classes and co-teach classes, which means we either have a small group in our classroom or we’re in a general education classroom,” Sloas said. “We serve as co-teachers in those classrooms to help with our deaf and hard of hearing students that need help, as well as bringing a lot of support with us.”
Sloas also mentions how she helps around her students, identifying vocabulary aid as being significantly beneficial for students who are deaf and hard of hearing at HC.
“Vocabulary probably becomes the number one stumbling block for our students,” Sloas said. “Specifically because they don’t hear all the conversations going on around them. People don’t realize that most of your language is 75-80 percent is incidental, and many of our students just don’t have that.”
Sloas also wants to clear up misconceptions that she believes are held around deaf and hard of hearing students at HC, and gives advice on what she wants the HC community to know about her students.
“The [deaf and hard of hearing students] are just like all the other kids,” Sloas said. “The kids want to be social, they want to interact with their friends, they want to be like everybody else, and sometimes people see the hearing aids and get weirded out by it. The kids are just like you, they just use a different form of communication.”
Additionally, Sloas mentions that her students are equally capable to perform in extracurricular activities and sports, despite hardness of hearing.
“In the past, we had a wrestler and he was a state qualifier,” Sloas said. “He had gone off to state. They had done modifications for his hearing aids and his helmet and things like that.”
HC students who are part of the deaf and hard of hearing program at HC were also willing to sit down and provide information about a day in life at the school. HC student Braesean Ray mentioned some differences he has from an average student at HC.
“A way our day is different from everybody else’s at HC is that when we need help we go to a specific deaf room where we can get help,” Ray said. “Other than that, our day is really just chill and no different from anybody else.”
Ray also mentions some difficulties he faces at HC, and speaks on common misconceptions he wants to clear up.
“When we wear our hearing devices, some kids make fun of us or think we’re not smart enough,” Ray said.“Deaf and hard of hearing people have the same ability as hearing people, and the only problem with us is that we have hearing problems.”
Another HC student, Santarita Vazquez, mentions how she is grateful for now having other students like her to go to school with.
“When I first got here, I felt a little sad because I was alone,” Vazquez said. “Now, having them in my class is special, and having other people learn the same way through ASL is too.”
Despite these students’ hardness of hearing, the community at HC should see them no differently than how they see the other students. The school should continue to shine a positive light on the HC deaf and hard of hearing program.
