H W does ALI hear?
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With a microphone in hand, good vibes all around, and two hearing aids!
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f Stories o Inspiring Y e ou Teens Lik Kids and
All About Me Hi, I’m ALI, I’m 24-years-old, and this year I was a contestant on Season 23 of The Voice! I’m from Southern California, and I love singing and playing music with my family.
ALI’s Words of Wisdom: independent is great, z Being but remember, there is no
Hearing My Way
award for doing it all alone. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and accept support. Your friends, family, teachers and other important people in your life are there for you and want to see you succeed.
I was born in 1998, before newborn hearing screenings were done in the hospital at birth. It wasn’t until I was almost a year old that anyone suspected I had hearing loss. My grandpa was the first to notice that I wasn’t responding to sound. My dad, a musician, would play the drums, and I wouldn’t react. My parents got my hearing checked, and I was diagnosed with conductive hearing loss. I tried many things to find the best fit for my hearing loss. I received my first hearing aids as a toddler. I also tried bone anchored hearing aids on a headband. I had two stapendectomy surgeries to help correct my missing middle ear bone. Now I wear hearing aids, and I’m getting good benefit from them. I especially love the Bluetooth feature!
times will happen. Times z Hard when you will doubt yourself and your dreams. Times when you don’t feel good enough. Keep trying, and don’t be afraid to go back to something you let go before.
z
It’s not about winning. It’s about the process and learning experience. Be present in the moment— the future is now!
My School Journey
Tell yourself, “It’s going
z to work, because I
My family and I have worked hard so I could learn to listen and talk. Growing up, my mom led my team of audiologists, teachers, speech pathologists, and doctors. When I was a kid, my speech wasn’t as clear as it is now. At times even my parents couldn’t understand my muffled speech, but my younger sister Cammy always could! I am very grateful that I had access to early intervention, speech therapy, John Tracy Clinic preschool, special education, and IEP services. With support, I was able to attend mainstream public school starting in
I feel very privileged that my parents not only had the choice to pursue listening and spoken language for me, but also that they gave me choices and authority in choosing accommodations and support. For instance, I tried learning some ASL but found that with my hearing aids and lip reading skills, I didn’t need to use it. I also have a physical stiffness in my fingers, so I was not able to form some signs correctly. That is why it is key that families have options to pursue communication methods that work best for them.
Music to my Ears I come from a musical family and have been singing since childhood. My parents remember that when my speech teacher Natasha came to our house, she would sing simple nursery rhymes like Old MacDonald with me, and I’d sing back ‘E-I-E-I-O’ in perfect pitch! I’ve always loved songs with deep bass sounds— and of course I chose some for The Voice auditions! I think my conductive hearing loss has influenced my preference for low, deep frequencies and rich acoustic sound. My musical journey had some ups and downs. I participated in choir in school, but it wasn’t always the best experience, depending on the chorus teacher. In college, I was a music major. Unfortunately that experience was even
© Chris Haston/NB
C
work hard for it.”
first grade. My accommodations included sitting at the front of the class and having my teachers wear a microphone that streamed to my hearing aids.
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