Being a young adult
This is a time when you will need to make important life choices. Understanding your own values and preferences and being able to express them is important in order to make choices you will be satisfied with.
You begin to establish who you are in the world and what your identity is. A strong sense of self is key to forming close and lasting relationships. This counts for education, work, and personal relationships. When you have a hearing loss, access to technology, effective communication, and social skills are particularly important in establishing these relationships.
A clear understanding of your communication needs and how to advocate for yourself is essential as you move from school to further education and the workplace. In addition, transitioning from pediatric hearing services to adult hearing services is an important step to plan with your audiologist.
Did you notice?
The environment is:
- Large lecture rooms with one person talking at the front
- Smaller discussion and working groups
- Radio and background noise in the workplace
Socially, you need to:
- Collaborate with others at university or in the workplace
- Form relationships with others so they understand and respect your needs
- Explain your hearing loss
You need to be able to:
- Speak up for yourself and say you have a hearing loss
- Identify and ask for the support you need to hear and communicate well
- Apply communication strategies to hear well
- Explain to others how they can help