Heading to college or university?
You may have got here with strong support, or with very little. Post-secondary asks you to take more responsibility for your learning and to ask for what you need. That can feel like a lot. It is also a real opportunity.
- Know your hearing loss. Be ready to explain what works for you: the supports you used in high school, the strategies that helped, and the devices you rely on.
- Connect with Student Services early. Your Accessibility Services office can arrange assistive listening devices, captioning, interpreting, and mentorship. Register as soon as you can.
- Monitor your accommodations. Keep track of what you are using and what is not working, and go back to Student Services to change it. Do not wait for the end of term, the first four weeks matter most.
- Know your rights. Laws like the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) protect students with disabilities. Knowing them strengthens your case for the right accommodations.
- We do better together. Many students are navigating the same thing. Peers offer encouragement, shared strategies, and a sense of belonging.
- Build connections. Get to know your professors and classmates. Ask for lecture slides. Most people help once they understand what you need. Sometimes one conversation opens the door.
Where to start:
Take an active part in your own education. You can build a place where you do well, in your studies and in your social life. Wherever you study, support is out there.
Read the full guide · I am a college or university student with hearing loss
You may have made it through high school with strong support, or with very little. Post-secondary education asks you to take more responsibility for your own access needs. That is a skill you can build. The strategies below come from students who have walked this path.
Know your rights
Colleges and universities in Ontario have a duty to accommodate students with disabilities, including hearing loss. Accommodations can include note-takers, captioning, FM systems, preferred seating, and extended time. You do not have to tell every professor your diagnosis. The accessibility office handles that conversation with you.
Register early with the accessibility office
Register before classes start if you can. Accommodations take time to arrange. The earlier the office knows you, the smoother your term goes. Bring your audiogram or other documentation.
Advocate in the classroom
Sit where you can see the speaker's face. Ask for captions on videos. Tell your professors what works for you. Most of them want to help. They just do not know what you need until you say it.
Find your people
Find other students with hearing loss, on campus or through CHHA National's Young Adult Network. A lonely path becomes a shared one.