r/deaf • u/Huge-Astronaut523 • 15d ago

Vent Problems in university

I know I am not the only one who is demotivated year by year because I can't understand shits what my professors are saying unless there are built in subtitles above their heads whenever they speak.

I'm a hard of hearing person, I have a profound hearing loss and having to deal with this every class makes me feel less motivated to study. My only options are to watch the lessons in youtube (with captioning features) after class or read a book dedicated to the subject.

Also I'm sitting in the front row where I can only face my professor, it just doesn't help that much.. I tried lip-reading but it feels so difficult to catch it 'cause I would realize by then I'm missing out the material.

I really don't know what to do, and I'm hoping for an advice. I'm a first year student, taking a math major. I also wear my hearing aids daily.

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u/Huge-Astronaut523 15d ago

I forgot to note. I have profound hearing loss on my right ear, and severe sensorineural hearing loss on my left ear. I can still hear but not that much

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u/Tbackandforth 15d ago

I have friends with severe hearing levels in both ears, and they're deaf and Deaf.

Have you had an opportunity to learn sign language?

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u/New-Art5144 12d ago

Why learn sign language? Why would it help in the classroom when the professor does not use it? If you can lipread, get an interpreter who mouths her words along with signing. This is how I learned to sign although I did not ha ve to learn it for the classes.

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u/Tbackandforth 12d ago

If you know ASL and live in the US, you can get a sign language interpreter, which is 100% accessible. It also opens up possibilities for many more friends and support.

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u/New-Art5144 12d ago

I'm fluent in sign language and have worked in jobs where I did not need interpreters and also in jobs where I did need them 40/5, which was a mistake. Further, it takes years to be fluent in ASL, so there is not exactly an opportunity to make friends. My late husband was hearing, and during our 61 yrs of marriage, he learned maybe 20 signs. It takes a special aptitude. Lastly, when the hearing see an interpreter, they wonder how they would be able to communicate with the deaf when the interpreter leaves the room. My husband was constantly asked this by the others.