A Visit with Bobby Moakley

A Visit with Bobby Moakley
Posted on 02/26/2016
BobbyOn Tuesday, January 12th, Bobby Moakley, a freshman at Rochester Institute of Technology, in Rochester, NY, came to CRLS to speak to a group of high school students about his experiences growing up deaf. Bobby is smart, successful, and a strong advocate for social issues, including a passion for environmental studies. He also grew up with significant hearing loss. He has bilateral cochlear implants and uses an FM system. As a high school student, he struggled with accepting his hearing loss, and for the first time since he was five years old, refused to use his FM system. In his words, “I was unable to fit in with my peers. I eventually lost motivation to learn and excel.”

While at CRLS, Bobby met with a group of 9th and 10th graders who have also grown up with hearing loss. He shared his experiences, and in particular, he talked about his feelings of frustration when he was in high school. The students shared their common feelings of frustration with the conflicting ideas of needing their equipment in order to hear their teachers, yet not wanting to seem “different” or “lesser” than other students. This forum was filled with stories, connections, laughter, and tears. One CRLS student lingered in the hallway prior to the meeting. He was angry, and declared that his hearing loss was “not a big deal” and “doesn’t affect me at all.” He finally entered the room, with the assurance that he could leave after a few minutes if it didn’t feel helpful. He ended up staying for over an hour, talked openly about his own frustrations and feelings of anger about his hearing loss. Bobby talked to the students about the impact of refusing his FM in high school. Without the use of his FM system in high school, his grades started to fall. It was difficult for Bobby’s parents to watch, as they had provided him with a strong foundation for learning, and had worked hard to make sure he had everything he needed in regard to his hearing loss as he was growing up. But Bobby refused to accept his hearing loss in high school and felt “hearing loss had been the thing that destroyed my life; it was my curse.”

Despite these feelings of frustration, Bobby applied for a scholarship to the No Barriers program and was awarded a trip to Peru. He told the group of CRLS students that this experience was “life changing”. He met other teenagers with hearing loss, however, these peers did not have access to the types of technology and educational resources that Bobby had in the United States. It was difficult for him to see peers who were struggling so much because they had access to so little. Bobby had a very different attitude about his hearing loss when he came home from Peru. “Before No Barriers, I did not know, or even question, my full potential. Now, I know that there are truly no limits to what I can do as long as I step up to the plate.”

Bobby shared information about the No Barriers program with the group of CRLS students. No Barriers is an organization that provides “transformative experiences” to children and adults with physical challenges. Their mission is to “foster a community of curious, brave and collaborative explorers who are determined to live the No Barriers Life”.

BobbyThe group of teenagers who met with Bobby at CRLS share a common thread that we can’t really relate to as typically hearing people. They share communication struggles and frustrations that we don’t. They also share the burden of needing technology in order to access information in noisy environments. Connecting them with each other, and to someone who can identify with their struggles (yet has pushed past the barriers of frustration and denial) was an emotional and motivating experience. At the end of the meeting, after sharing contact information, everyone in the group promised to stay in touch, reach out when frustrated, and share resources as they found them. This was just a small step as part of a long journey, but it was an important step for these courageous and remarkable students.
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