Whether you’re going to school in Austin or away from home, starting college is a big deal. You need to buy books, choose your classes, make new friends and settle into a serious study routine. If you’re among the 15% of U.S. adults with hearing loss,[1] you’ll need to take a few extra steps to ensure you have the tools you need to succeed both academically and socially.
Let’s look at some of those steps below.
1. Schedule a Hearing Aid Service
Well-programmed, clean hearing aids are your number-one communication tool. During a hearing aid service, we’ll double-check the programming on your devices and deep-clean them to ensure they deliver the clearest possible sound. Schedule a service appointment before school starts or as soon as possible.
2. Talk to Your Professors
You will need to talk to your professors ahead of class to request any necessary accommodations. Accommodations could include live captioning, assigned seating, sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices, a classroom loop system (that connects to your hearing aids) or written lecture notes. Depending on the university, you may need to start with your school’s student help services and alert your professors after.
On top of school accommodations, you can ask your professor for more personal ones, like looking at the class when they’re talking or giving you extra time to answer a question, often if you’re using a captioning service with a slight delay, when called upon.
3. Leverage Communication Strategies
College is as much a social experience as an academic one. Learning how to communicate effectively with your classmates will help you create and maintain new relationships. Try the following strategies:
- Face the speaker
- Talk in a quieter environment
- Avoid distractions like your phone
- Choose small groups or one-on-one time as much as possible
- Ask questions
- Ask the speaker to talk at a normal pace and volume
Hearing loss doesn’t have to limit your college experience. By talking to your professors and combining the above communication strategies with your hearing aids, you can succeed inside and outside the classroom.
For more information about hearing loss management or to schedule a service appointment with one of our specialists, contact River ENT today.
[1] National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. (2024). Quick statistics about hearing. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-hearing
