Deborah has a hereditary hearing loss. With hearing aids, she is able to take advantage of her residual hearing. Deborah’s father and two younger brothers are also deaf while her mother and sister are not. At home, Deborah uses American Sign Language (ASL), which she considers her first language. Deborah attended speech therapy where she learned to lip read, use her residual hearing, and speak well enough to be understood by most people.
Deborah decided to attend a liberal arts university, majoring in art and photography. To fulfill one of her general education requirements, she enrolled in an English writing course.
Hearing impairment/ hearing loss
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