We can learn a lot by listening to the experience of others who have been in the same situation as we are in. In the videos below, children and young people with hearing loss and their families share their personal stories of what it was like to grow up with a hearing loss and which particular challenges they faced when they were between 12 and 18 years old and how they overcame them. 
Marge is the mother of two sons, Forest and Cameron, who both have hearing loss. In this video, she describes her older son, Forest’s, transition into high school and how he became confident and successful when he learned to advocate for himself. 
Alison is the mother of Makenzie who has hearing aids and is now in high school. In this video, Alison shares how Makenzie made the transition into junior high and learned to self-manage her hearing loss.
Nicky is a make-up artist. In this video, she describes her transition into secondary school in a mainstream environment from the safety of her deaf world.
Caroline is a teacher of the Deaf. In this video, she relates how she refused communication support at secondary school, and offers advice to students and their parents who may be going through a difficult adjustment.
Simone is a professional ballet dancer who has cochlear implants. In this video, she talks about the difference between secondary school and high school and managing hearing loss in a mainstream environment.
Kathleen reflects on how her hearing loss meant that she missed out on a lot of information when she was a teenager regarding dating.
Kathleen's mom looks back at the difficulties of trying to do what was best for her daughter when she was a teenager without making her feel singled out because of her hearing loss.

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