Faces Behind the Screen: Kevin

<< Return to all “Faces Behind the Screen” stories

Kevin

Amongst the eager walkers preparing to conquer the 2016 New England Halloween-themed Walk4Hearing 5K, we met Kevin, who was dressed as a fearless ninja.

Kevin was born with hearing loss and uses hearing aids.

As a 6th-grader, and as can be expected from any kid his age (who would rather be practicing karate in their ninja costume), Kevin’s responses to our barrage of questions were endearingly concise.

His mother was also present for the interview and was happy to help to fill in some details:

So, Kevin tell us about your costume.

I’m a ninja.

Nice! And you actually do karate, correct?

I first did kung fu, and I got up to an orange belt. Then I started doing karate. And then I got all the way back up to my orange belt. Then I just went for my purple belt Saturday.

“When people annoy me I just turn off my hearing aids.”

What other sports do you play?

Football, basketball, football, I do soccer. I tried hockey, but I fell on the ice and [hurt] my chin.

What’s it like to have hearing loss while playing sports?

It’s hard to hear.

How often do you not wear your hearing aids?

I wear them all the time. I just don’t wear them to bed. When people annoy me I just turn off my hearing aids.

Kevin

Do you feel like you hear well enough?

Yeah. You just turn up the volume [on things].

“He’s our miracle child.”

Does that drive your mother crazy?

Sometimes. Especially on Saturdays and Sunday mornings.

Cool, well thanks for talking with us Kevin!

Thank you.

“We don’t raise him to feel different.”

To Kevin’s Mother: How do you think Kevin feels about wearing his hearing aids?

KEVIN’S MOTHER: He’s our miracle child — our only child. He really is amazing.

It’s challenging, you know. But now it’s just such a part of him. He doesn’t even know any different. He was about a month old when he had hearing aids. And it’s been a challenge. But now it’s just such a part of him.

He seems very unfazed by them.

He doesn’t even know any different. It doesn’t really faze him.

We don’t raise him to feel different.

NOTE: This page was originally published on 3/2/2017 and was updated 1/17/2018.

We want to extend a huge thank you to the Hearing Loss Association of America and the New England Walk4Hearing for hosting this series of interviews on October 29, 2016.

Learn More About Accessibility CTA

Pictures of four people who were interviewed for the Faces Behind the Screen project

Faces Behind the Screen is a storytelling project focusing on members of the Deaf and hard of hearing community.

social media

Connect with Faces Behind the Screen on social media to stay up-to-date on the latest accessibility stories and news.