My name is Gianna Heaviland, I'm 16, a junior at San Dieguito Academy High School and I am the founder of PACE (Positive Alternatives Through Challenge and Experience). I got a BAHA implant in 8th grade for my single sided hearing loss but my right ear was getting worse so it became no use. I got a Dot2 hearing aid for my right ear in my freshman year of high school because it became a permanent m
oderate loss. I used to think that being deaf was awful...like some horribly irritating thing I had to live with. I couldn't fit in at any of my schools because EVERYONE was hearing and had no issues. I was the girl with hearing problems and needed a "hearing specialist" and speech therapy. Except then I was too young too know what it was all about so elementary was easiest because people were curious so all they did was ask questions and then when they were answered they didn't bother me with it. As I got older I went through more discrimination for seeming slow, even from teachers who don't have common sense. Yet I still go through it and I have awesome hearing friends but they still wouldn't understand. I've been through the frustration of not getting an answer after all the tests I went through since I was 4. I know the experience of late hearing loss. My freshman year consisted of being taken out of school and running around to different types of doctors to figure out what was happening with the right ear. I was finally diagnosed with Endolymphatic Hydrops (Meniere's Disease). I was so over everything and everyone around me. I realized now that I have grown from this situation and I can help other people. By sophomore year I took up ASL and I immediately fell in love with the language and deaf culture. I took it to learn more about myself and so I could use it later if I go completely deaf. But I found it to be so much easier to just sign than talk and you don't have to be completely deaf to sign. It's beneficial for anyone. It really has changed the way I thought about myself and I became so confident and positive in myself. I know I have nothing wrong with me...Deafness is not a disability, but it can be a struggle. My YouTube channel Geegerz825, helped me express myself to others all over the world with the same problems. I am now more confident than ever but I still have misunderstandings from hearing people as well as my friends. That's why I want to make friends who are like me as well as help one another. I am really hoping this group benefits each and every one of you who join. I would have never gotten this started if it weren't for my mom and Signs of Silence. Thank you guys so much!
