it was the middle of the day, nearing the end of the morning presentations. i sat in a room full of new faculty at the university, listening intently as the adorable little lady in the coral colored outfit described the wonderful benefits that i would be getting IF i filled out the stack of paperwork correctly. ainsley sat at my feet, under the table. occaisionally, i whispered back and forth with a colleague at my table. then it dawned on me........there i sat, with no assistive listening devices, no interpreters, no captioner, no nothing and i was getting it all. i was hearing all these new voices with very little effort. i could hear and understand even while i looked down at the paperwork being described. this was such a difference from the extremely negative experience that i had four years ago at orientation for new teaching assistants at UW. i remember how upset and frustrated i was because i absolutely could not understand anything without accommodations (which i had requested but not been provided). i burst into a spontaneous grin that surely stretched from ear to ear. i didn't cry, but i kinda wanted to. i'm sure that anyone who saw me at that moment would be quite puzzled by my sudden euphoria. more than a year has past since i had surgery for the cochlear implant. almost a year has passed since my activation and resulting awakening. most days i don't really consciously think about the fact that i'm hearing, but it's always just beneath the surface. it's such a good thing.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
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3 comments:
Yes it is. What a great feeling that must have been. (((Jac)))
I just cried for you....
UNK
WOW! How fantastic! This has to be utterly thrilling...and no wonder you wanted to cry! Tears of Joy and the difference a year can make! I'm so happy for you Jac...!
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