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Lincoln-Way North student wins deaf advocacy award - The SouthtownStar
She had always been a reticent student, but there Rachel Trudeau was in front of the classroom, pulling apart an oversized model of an ear and explaining the parts to her cohorts.
It was one of four lessons the Lincoln-Way North High School junior would present that day with physics teacher Peggy Piper on how hearing works — and sometimes doesn’t work.
For Trudeau’s work with Piper, her self-advocacy and her mentorship role for younger students with similar hearing loss, she was awarded Advocate of the Year at the Ninth Annual Deaf and Hard of Hearing Advocacy Event last month in Joliet.
“She’d always been a shy, quiet student. You’d often have to ask her to speak up, and when she did, it was still a whisper. But this year, she’s really transformed,” said Lincoln-Way hearing itinerant Sarah Spoerl, who nominated Trudeau for the award.
“I was so nervous,” Trudeau said, “but ultimately the experience helped me overcome my fears. I knew that if I could speak about my hearing loss in front of my class that I could speak anywhere.”
Trudeau, who has had conductive hearing loss in her right ear since birth, helped explain the anatomy of the ear, shared her hearing aid and taught some sign language. But it was her description of her hearing impairment that resonated most with the students.
She demonstrated the extent of her hearing loss by having students make higher-pitched and lower-pitched noises while her back was turned. Rachel, who has hearing loss in the lower frequency range, was able to hear the girls talking at a conversational level but not some of the boys.
“It was a really powerful lesson,” Piper said. “It can often be pretty mechanical, but Rachel’s personal touch helped the students bridge the connection between the information and the real-world applications.”
The lesson caught many of the students by surprise, as most weren’t aware of Trudeau’s hearing loss. She described their reaction as shocked, with others asking if that’s why she always turned her head to the left.
“I have students who would die if asked to stand and teach a class, much less draw attention to their hearing loss,” Spoerl said.
“It was really cool,” Trudeau said. “Everyone was really interested and had lots of questions.”
The award was also in recognition of Trudeau’s ability to overcome her hearing loss and succeed in and out of the classroom.
“Hearing loss is the invisible illness, and like Rachel’s case, often the other students don’t have any idea. And it’s typically not the teacher’s fault. They’ve got their hands full and it’s easy for a student with hearing loss to get lost in the shuffle,” Spoerl said.
Piper pointed to Trudeau’s assertive nature when she’s having trouble as a key to her success.
“She’s very gentle yet persistent and very good about speaking up when necessary. She’s very good at positioning herself,” Piper said.
Spoerl said Trudeau’s achievements have proved encouraging to her other students.
“She’s an inspiration to my younger kids. Most are the only ones with hearing loss in their entire schools, and to see someone older who’s excelling like Rachel is really motivational,” Spoerl said.
Trudeau hopes to put the $500 scholarship awarded along with the honor toward attending a camp at Gallaudet University, a Washington D.C.-based school that specializes in education for the deaf and hard of hearing. She hopes to pursue education as a major and is considering specializing in deaf education.
The Hearing Advocacy Event honors high school students from five area high school districts and five special-education co-ops.
She had always been a reticent student, but there Rachel Trudeau was in front of the classroom, pulling apart an oversized model of an ear and explaining the parts to her cohorts.
It was one of four lessons the Lincoln-Way North High School junior would present that day with physics teacher Peggy Piper on how hearing works — and sometimes doesn’t work.
For Trudeau’s work with Piper, her self-advocacy and her mentorship role for younger students with similar hearing loss, she was awarded Advocate of the Year at the Ninth Annual Deaf and Hard of Hearing Advocacy Event last month in Joliet.
“She’d always been a shy, quiet student. You’d often have to ask her to speak up, and when she did, it was still a whisper. But this year, she’s really transformed,” said Lincoln-Way hearing itinerant Sarah Spoerl, who nominated Trudeau for the award.
“I was so nervous,” Trudeau said, “but ultimately the experience helped me overcome my fears. I knew that if I could speak about my hearing loss in front of my class that I could speak anywhere.”
Trudeau, who has had conductive hearing loss in her right ear since birth, helped explain the anatomy of the ear, shared her hearing aid and taught some sign language. But it was her description of her hearing impairment that resonated most with the students.
She demonstrated the extent of her hearing loss by having students make higher-pitched and lower-pitched noises while her back was turned. Rachel, who has hearing loss in the lower frequency range, was able to hear the girls talking at a conversational level but not some of the boys.
“It was a really powerful lesson,” Piper said. “It can often be pretty mechanical, but Rachel’s personal touch helped the students bridge the connection between the information and the real-world applications.”
The lesson caught many of the students by surprise, as most weren’t aware of Trudeau’s hearing loss. She described their reaction as shocked, with others asking if that’s why she always turned her head to the left.
“I have students who would die if asked to stand and teach a class, much less draw attention to their hearing loss,” Spoerl said.
“It was really cool,” Trudeau said. “Everyone was really interested and had lots of questions.”
The award was also in recognition of Trudeau’s ability to overcome her hearing loss and succeed in and out of the classroom.
“Hearing loss is the invisible illness, and like Rachel’s case, often the other students don’t have any idea. And it’s typically not the teacher’s fault. They’ve got their hands full and it’s easy for a student with hearing loss to get lost in the shuffle,” Spoerl said.
Piper pointed to Trudeau’s assertive nature when she’s having trouble as a key to her success.
“She’s very gentle yet persistent and very good about speaking up when necessary. She’s very good at positioning herself,” Piper said.
Spoerl said Trudeau’s achievements have proved encouraging to her other students.
“She’s an inspiration to my younger kids. Most are the only ones with hearing loss in their entire schools, and to see someone older who’s excelling like Rachel is really motivational,” Spoerl said.
Trudeau hopes to put the $500 scholarship awarded along with the honor toward attending a camp at Gallaudet University, a Washington D.C.-based school that specializes in education for the deaf and hard of hearing. She hopes to pursue education as a major and is considering specializing in deaf education.
The Hearing Advocacy Event honors high school students from five area high school districts and five special-education co-ops.