Hearing Loss Not Success Barrier For Phillip Hall

Hearing Loss no Barrier to Success

Phillip Hall, a 24-year old double honours graduate with severe hearing loss, has been awarded the Quest for Excellence Scholarship by the National Foundation for the Deaf (NFD).

Honours graduate Phillip Hall set to take up study at top US University

The $15,000 Quest for Excellence Scholarship was established by the NFD for post-graduate study. Its purpose is to recognise and inspire exceptional Deaf or hearing impaired people who have overcome the odds to achieve excellence.

The presentation of the Scholarship in Auckland on Saturday caps off a great week for Phillip who was awarded a prestigious Fulbright-Ministry of Research, Science and Technology Graduate Award just days earlier.

This award, valued at more than US$25000, is for promising New Zealand graduate students to undertake postgraduate study or research at US institutions in areas targeted to support growth and innovation in New Zealand.

Philip has a double degree with honours in Psychology and Economics from the University of Otago, and will leave his current role as an assistant policy analyst with the Department of Labour to commence post-graduate study at the University of Arizona in August. There, he will be studying toward a PhD in Psychology.

"I am honoured to be the recipient of the Quest for Excellence Scholarship," said Phillip. "The scholarship will not only assist with the cost of my study in the US, but has provided an opportunity to help raise awareness of the challenges faced every day by the one in ten New Zealanders with hearing loss."

Phillip, who has 82% hearing loss, is all too aware of these challenges. He has worn hearing aids in both ears since the age of nine and at first struggled to cope with the thought of being labelled 'different'.

"When I was a child, I tried to avoid wearing my hearing aids whenever I could so I didn't stand out from the crowd. Over time however, I learnt that missing out on conversation was far more frustrating and annoying, for me and others around me. What was setting me apart was my inability to communicate with my peers - and it was the hearing aids that were the key to allowing me to actually fit into the hearing world!"

Throughout school Phillip attended mainstream classes and received no special assistance.

"Rather than using my disability as an excuse to hide in the shadows, I decided to use it as a reason to challenge myself to become more involved in my school, and community. In this way, I feel my hearing impairment has empowered me to constantly push myself to be the best I can be."

It is exactly this sort of attitude that inspired the establishment of the Quest for Excellence scholarship in the first place according to NFD executive manager, Marianne Schumacher.

"Phillip is a very talented man who has clearly demonstrated a determination to excel and an incredible enthusiasm for living and learning. He is a fantastic role model for the 450,000 New Zealanders who have difficulty hearing," said Ms Schumacher.

"Hearing impaired people face a number of unique challenges. If a person is obviously blind, or physically disabled in some way, people will go out of their way to help them, or adapt the situation to their benefit. However, because hearing loss is an invisible disability, it often goes unnoticed which doesn't always make life easy for those with the hearing disability."

Phillip says the key to overcoming these barriers is firstly accepting they are there and then managing them to the best of your ability.

"If you want to succeed as a hearing impaired person in a hearing world, you are going to have to accept there will be potentially embarrassing situations where for example you say something inappropriate because you have heard wrong. It is important not to let such things worry you as you can't afford to be afraid of getting out there."

Phillip has adopted a number of measures to help overcome the challenges his hearing loss presents.

"I find meetings with more than one or two people can be quite challenging, so where possible I schedule one-on-one meetings in environments conducive to listening. Sometimes, you don't have a choice, such as in University lectures - but if I had difficulty hearing during a lecture I worked harder in other areas; relying on text books or scheduling an appointment to see the lecturer so I could catch up on the bits I missed."

Phillip's determination has certainly paid off academically but this attitude isn't just limited to his study. He also holds a black stripe in Tae Kwon Do and has his sights set on achieving his black belt.

In the past, he has been heavily involved with the Dunedin Youth Forum, including four years on their executive committee.

Phillip offers one final word of advice: "You cannot choose to have a hearing loss, but you can choose whether or not to let this rule your life. Rather than use your disability as a reason not to do something, use it to motivate and challenge yourself to take it on, whether it be academic, sporting, cultural - or just something you have always wanted to do!"

ENDS

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