Selena Lopez聽鈥�18, a graduate student in the聽, first聽detected聽difficulty with her hearing while she was an undergraduate聽student.
鈥淚 noticed if I sat in the back of the classroom, that I was having a hard time hearing,鈥� said Lopez. 鈥淓ven if I sat in the front, I wished they could repeat it one more time.鈥�
Lopez聽mentioned her concerns about her hearing to her聽doctor but聽was told that her hearing was fine. It wasn鈥檛 until she was accepted into the聽communication sciences and disorders master鈥檚 program and聽had her hearing tested by an audiologist that her hearing loss was聽confirmed聽鈥� providing Lopez with both answers and concerns for what it meant for her聽plans聽to become a聽speech-language聽pathologist.
It is standard protocol for students entering UCF鈥檚 master鈥檚 program in communication sciences and disorders to pass a clinical聽screening聽in speech and hearing to ensure they can communicate effectively with their patients.
Janel Cosby, an聽audiologist聽and clinical faculty member who works with the master鈥檚 students, performed a聽diagnostic聽hearing聽evaluation on聽Lopez. She noted a bilateral聽sensorineural聽hearing loss and referred her to an otolaryngologist for further evaluation.
鈥淗er hearing loss meant that Selena had trouble hearing high-frequency聽sounds聽and speech, like children and female voices,鈥� Cosby聽says.
At first, the news was troubling to Lopez,聽but Cosby assured her that not only would hearing aids make a tremendous difference in her hearing,聽but she would also聽still be able to pursue her dreams of becoming a speech-language pathologist. Hearing aid technology has made remarkable advances in recent years.
A more concerning issue聽for聽Lopez was the cost of the hearing aids. The tiny devices can pack a heavy price tag聽at thousands of dollars. And the cost is seldom covered by medical insurance.
But thanks to the generosity of donors who created The Hirapara Fund 鈥� established to provide support to the UCF Listening Center and UCF Audiology 鈥擫opez can not only see the future more clearly, she can also hear it.
惭补苍颈蝉丑听贬颈谤补辫补谤补听鈥�98听says he was inspired to create the fund because of his own bilateral mid-frequency hearing loss, which doctors told him was the result of a genetic condition. Hirapara says his own hearing loss inhibited him socially when he was a management student at UCF.
鈥淚 avoided group settings where I knew I might not hear everything聽that was said,鈥澛燞irapara聽says.
But after receiving the hearing aids, he could tell an immediate difference in the world around him 鈥� voices were clearer, music was richer.
鈥淚聽was listening to a song, and I realized I had never noticed that it had a horn section,鈥澛燞irapara聽says.聽“I didn’t want students to have the same experience I did. I wanted to help.鈥�
Lopez was relieved when Cosby told her about the聽Hirapara聽fund. Cosby聽helped Lopez make a selection for hearing aids聽and once the devices were delivered, she performed the necessary聽adjustments and helped聽Lopez聽learn聽how to manage the hearing aids.
鈥淥nce聽I聽put them in and turned them on,鈥� Lopez聽says, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how to describe it, I just started smiling because I could hear things聽so clearly.鈥�
The hearing aids have made not only a difference in her hearing, but also in other parts of her life, Lopez says.
鈥淚 have seen聽such聽a difference in my confidence,鈥� Lopez says. 鈥淣ow聽that my hearing is better, I can be sure聽that my patients are getting the right advice. And now, thanks to聽UCF and聽The聽Hirapara聽Fund I know my patients are getting the best possible care.鈥�
