This article was written for a journalism course at BYU-I.
As Marcia Davis walked through the halls of Cambridge Prep Academy in Lake City, Florida, she felt out of place. Davis could see some students talking, while another group of friends waved “hello” to her. Most high school students feel awkward, but for Davis it was different. She was accepted, but it wasn’t the same. Why?
Because Davis has severe hearing loss.
For 22-year-old Davis, a student at Brigham Young University-Idaho studying communication, hearing takes all her effort.
“My hearing aids help with my articulation,” said Davis. “It makes me feel every click in my mouth, so I can talk more clearly. I would not be anything like I am today without hearing aids.”
For Idaho citizens that have hearing loss, Davis’s story can now be theirs. According to the Idaho Deaf and Hard of Hearing Council, certain residents are now eligible for free or discounted hearing aids.
“Assistive technology promotes greater independence by enabling people to perform tasks that they were formerly unable to accomplish,” said the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Council on their website.
Heidi Smith, BYU-I’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Coordinator, helps Rexburg, Idaho residents get access to hearing aids.
“If a deaf or hard of hearing person qualifies, they might get their hearing aids paid for,” said Smith. “It needs to be either student or job-related. If the hearing aids will help the student graduate and find a good job, or if the person needs hearing aids to work, then it is my understanding that they will help to pay for them.”
Smith recommended contacting Vocational Rehab, which is a state-funded program that has offices across Idaho.
“Vocational Rehabilitation … provides comprehensive vocational services to individuals with disabilities,” stated the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation on their website. “The scope of rehabilitation services that may be provided is extensive and includes services that lead to employment which will also result in increasing an individual’s independence and self-worth.”
The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation focuses on getting residents with disabilities functioning in a school or work environment. But for Idaho residents who don’t want to go through state services, there are other ways they can get hearing assistive devices.
Idaho residents can apply for grants or payment through Ear Nose and Throat Offices across the state, such as Idaho Assistive Technology Project in Moscow or the Assistive League of Boise in Boise. Additionally, national programs like The Hike Fund, Easter Seals, and Optimist Club can get residents free or discounted hearing aids.
For many deaf and hard-of-hearing residents, hearing assistive devices are outside of their financial means. According to Customer Affairs, hearing aids average at $2,300 per device in 2023, making this a nearly $5,000 investment.
Davis was able to invest in hearing aids and got her first pair at 15 months old.
“When (my parents) found out I was hearing impaired, I was so behind and couldn’t speak,” she explained. “Because I was still young, I still had the chance to learn how to talk.”
With the help of her hearing aids and speech therapy, Davis now blends into a hearing world.
“There were lots of moments when I did feel behind, but the hearing aids have always helped,” Davis said. “Without hearing aids, I wouldn’t be able to talk. I would just use ASL, write, read lips – it would be a completely different life.”
However, the deaf and hard-of-hearing community does not always want hearing aids. Davin Glenn, a BYU-I graduate, is hard of hearing but never learned American Sign Language.
“Not every deaf person wants to blend into hearing culture,” said Glenn. “It can be controversial and I only speak for my own experiences as a hard-of-hearing person. I am able to lipread and I can get along fine, but many deaf people love their culture and don’t want to change it.”
Davis understands this, but still thinks the free or discounted hearing aids can benefit Idaho.
“I know there is a lot of debate about this,” Davis said. “I’m glad that I can fit into the norm of society rather than go and have to be in a specific community, which would be the deaf community.”
But Davis respects the deaf community, whether they want hearing-assisted devices or not.
“If (only learning ASL) had happened, I wouldn’t have known the difference and it would have been fine,” Davis explained. “But I wouldn’t be able to sing or be able to talk. I like being part of the norm. I’m glad they pushed not doing ASL and just focusing on speaking and hearing aids. I wish they did teach me ASL too just as a backup, but sign language was not encouraged back then.”
Sign language was not encouraged in mainstream culture until the late 2000’s, but Idaho is an anomaly in the deaf and hard-of-hearing world, according to Smith.
“In eastern Idaho there really is not (a deaf culture),” Smith said. “We have fully deaf students who have cochlear implants and they don’t consider themselves deaf, they consider themselves hard of hearing … the circle could be bigger but because there is not a big deaf culture here so many of them do not associate with being deaf. They kind of just want to blend in, which isn’t normally the case.”
Whether deaf or hard-of-hearing residents choose blend in or stand out, the state of Idaho has resources. The most popular one, according to Hearing Link, is the FM system. This is used in the classroom and is available statewide in public schools.
“FM systems are wireless assistive hearing devices that enhance the use of hearing aids”, says Hearing Link on their website. “(They) also assist people who are hard of hearing but do not wear hearing aids, in particular over distance and in noisy environments.
Isabelle Justice 