RESPECTFUL Cultural Interview
I was not sure how Adriana was going to react to certain topics/questions and this made me apprehensive about conducting the interview. I was nervous that she might feel vulnerable about her hearing impediment since she is a private individual. She was ridiculed in school and did not have many friends. I was unaware if Adriana would avoid questions or become emotional about her childhood. I was also apprehensive about mentioning her nationality and if she felt that she had experienced racism. I remained empathetic and nonjudgmental throughout the entire interview.
Adriana is currently a 33-year-old Mexican American left handed female with a hearing disability. She currently has no hearing in her right ear and has only 10% in her left ear. She has two hearing aids and is able to communicate by reading lips, text messaging, and by email. She is not able to communicate utilizing a telephone. She has been bilingual (Spanish and English) since the age of about five.
Adriana lost most of hearing at the age of seven because she was afflicted with polio. She mentioned that she was sick for a week and was never hospitalized. She suffered from high fevers and lost the majority of her hearing over the course of a week. She went from being able to hear the chirping of a bird to only being able to hear muffled voices! She obtained hearing aids about two weeks after being afflicted with polio. She went through extensive amounts of speech therapy during and outside of the school setting. However, she has always excelled academically in school. She claims that most of the teachers were accommodating and let her sit in the front of the class.
However, she did mention that she was ridiculed throughout her grade school years. She claims that her classmates would throw “spit balls” at her and make fun of her speech impediment. She never lashed out at people and tried