Thanks to funding from WorkBC Assistive Technology Services, Rhonda, a teacher, was able to get her first set of hearing aids.
“After 46 years of living with hearing loss, I was finally able to access technology that helps me hear better. I have heard things I never knew made noise! It is quite shocking to me to realize how deaf I am. I thought I had relatively minor hearing loss, but with the help of the Assistive Technology Services program, I realized that I was putting significant time and energy to struggle to hear daily,” she shares.
Her new hearing aids have made a big difference in her ability to teach in the classroom.
“I am now able to hear students when they talk to me on my deaf side. It helps me to hear some of my students who are particularly quiet and not have to ask them repeatedly to tell me again what they were saying. I think that my relationships with my students are better because it does not take me so long to process the meaning of their words because I am not putting so much energy into decoding what they are saying,” she says.
“I don’t feel as tired at the end of the day. I feel like I can participate more in group conversations as I can understand what people are saying. I feel like I hear quicker, if that makes sense, which means I can catch nonverbal cues that go with conversations that I previously missed or misinterpreted.”
Rhonda was particularly complimentary of the service she received from WorkBC Assistive Technology Services staff.
“I just would like to thank all the people that worked with me in the Assistive Technology Services program. I really appreciate all the help and support and I can’t believe the difference the hearing aids have made to my life in such a short time,” she says.
“[I] was worried that the application process would be arduous or take months to complete. I was pleasantly surprised by how supportive the staff is and how quickly the process went from applying to having hearing aids.
“I would definitely recommend the Assistive Technology Services program to anyone that needs it. It changes lives!”
WorkBC Assistive Technology Services is operated by Neil Squire. Assistive Technology Services are available to individuals who have a work-related barrier due to a disability or a functional limitation. This may include barriers related to traveling to and from the workplace.
Questions about WorkBC Assistive Technology Services? Need help applying? Contact us: 1-844-453-5506 or info-ats@workbc.ca
Please visit for more information about WorkBC Assistive Technology Services.
