I am not sure where to post this topic. It's going to be about both the cochlear implant and school.

I am a student and will be a senior next year. I was hooked-up with my cochlear implant in February and it has been almost 3 months with it. I have been progressing nicely. To tell you my history of hearing loss, I lost my hearing at 2 and a half years old and worn hearing aids since 5 years of age. I have been in regular classrooms until the middle of my 4rth grade year. Until I transfered to a special education class for the hearing impaired until 6th grade and mainstreamed in some classes at the same time. Anyway, I did pretty well those years, until I saw and heard what interpreters were all about. I requested to have one and I did in starting 7th grade permanently. I found it to be helpful, because I was understanding them since I could lipread them close up and sign language has been in use because it helps them slow down while mouthing what's being said and help with what is being said since I can't hear their voices either to understand better. Anyway, I have liked that I could understand and not miss what's going on, but at the same time I have never really liked having them with me all the time.

Now that I have the CI I have been trying to focus on the teachers as much as I can. I can understand them but sometimes I miss what they say. Sometimes I get bits and pieces of what they say and at the same time it's hard to watch the interpreter and try to listen to the teachers. What I am trying to say is that I understand things that when I look at the interpreter they don't know what is that I didn't understand. And since I don't sign, but do know it, I can't communicate with my interpreter all the time and say "what did they say?" "what was it that she/he said before this?" Do you know what I am trying to say? In some classes I do not have an appropriate sitting area, because some classes are impossible to find a good place because of the sitting arrangements and because some teachers walk back and forth and demonstrate something back there, on the left.

Anyway, junior year will be over in a week and I would like to try to improve understanding people without the need of an interpreter. This is my goal to be without an interpreter next year.

Also, what puzzles me is that there are hearing impaired students that have far worse hearing than me and are able to function in class without an interperter. I have a severe to profound hearing loss in both ears. Actually in one ear now since the implant. I admire those students that are able to be on their own without at intepreter and it's very nice to be looking at your own teacher and understand what they say. It's frustrating having to look at an interpreter all day at one face all day and it affects my interaction with other students (it has been like this since 7th grade). I don't like the idea that students and teachers think I sign and try to talk through the interpreter to reach me.

Well you all see why I want to be on my own. I don't see why this can't happen since I used to be on my own before. And because of having an interpreter I think it has decreased my ability to understand others. I am still a very good lipreader and has been since I was 3, but some people are just hard to understand. The words just doesn't come on the lips clear. Since the implant it seems better, but I need auditory therapy, which I will get during the summer and the one from school just hasn't showed up a lot of these time that I should have gotten therapy. But I am happy to have therapy this summer outside of school.

Anyway, I would like to know if you have any ideas that I could do to improve understanding people better. I know about the FM syst whichI will ask my therapist and anyone about it sometimes during the summer and find out what they have to say of it. FM's weren't that helpful with hearing aids, I hated them. Also if you have had a child go from an interpreter to without an interpreter or you did yourself I would like to know your experience and how you did it.

Have a good summer if I don't speak with you.

One of the things you mentioned was difficulty securing a good seat in class. You might want to meet with your teachers at the beginning of the school year and work out an arrangement to secure proper seating in all your classes. You may also want to discuss things such as having the teacher remain facing the class to speak, as opposed to speaking and writing on the board at the same time. You can even make this part of your IEP (Individualized Education Plan) that the school is required, by law, to follow.

So for the English as a second language do I go to any enlish as a second language web site?