Meet Tiffany.

Hey everyone! I’m Tiffany, my hearing loss journey has been a weird one for sure but let me take you along for the ride.

I was born hearing but when I was about three, I started getting ear infections and it was recommended that I get tubes put in my ears. The tubes that were put in my ear caused massive holes in my eardrums. In the words of my audiologist then “It looks like the Grand Canyon in there”. I got three tympanoplasties (A surgery where they use cartilage or paper in my case to cover the eardrum and hopefully repair the ruptured eardrum) my left ear was successful, but my right ear was not.

When they couldn’t fix my right ear drum, they gave me my first hearing aid at age five. After a year or two, they decided to redo my tympanoplasty on my right ear and it was successful. After 3 years of annual hearing tests, I was told that my hearing was perfect, and I didn’t need any follow-up appointments.

When I was 17, I began having health problems and the doctors decided to run hearing tests, and that’s when we found out I was Hard of Hearing (HoH) in my right ear. I’m a musician and my major is music so this was weird and kind of nerve-racking to learn. At first, I said no to a hearing aid because I didn’t believe I was HoH, and I was kind of embarrassed.

I started to embrace being HoH after I got my second hearing aid during my second semester of college. I absolutely fell in love with my hearing aid and the deaf community. One of my now friends who’s in the deaf community saw my hearing aid in class and asked me about my hearing loss. She then got me involved in the Deaf community on campus!

I started learning ASL during my second semester of college, and have now added ASL as my minor. Being both HoH and a music major has its challenges, but I wouldn't change this aspect of my life at all. I use hearing accommodations for my classes which have helped me a lot. Most people have the same reaction when they first learn I'm HoH, as well as a music major. They are usually shocked and wonder how I do it—but I’m not the first (or last) in my music program who is deaf/HoH.

I basically grew up hearing, and in a hearing world, but the Deaf community is something so so so special to me. I’m at a place where yes, I’m learning a new language I’m not currently proficient or fluent in, but I feel seen, listened to, validated, and supported and that is so much more than I could have imagined!

Thank you for reading my story! If you liked this post, make sure to follow @Tiffhoh & @forthedeafgirl on Instagram!