Nursing Student with hearing loss

AmericanRN · Feb 9, 2008

I am currently in my second semester of nursing. Since I was three I have had a moderate hearing loss. I can hear BP, Heart, Respirations fine with my Littman. I informed one of my instructors about my hearing loss just to be honest and now she wants to go get tested by an audiologist and have them write a letter to the school saying that I can hear soft voices and someone wearing a mask or she will dismiss me from the program. Nothing has happened clinically and I have passed everything that I have been tested on. I am so frustrated and I was wondering if there are any laws or anything that I can do about this because it just does not seem fair to be discriminated because of my disablility. Our school policy book does not say anywhere that they can dismiss me from the program because of this is only states that if there is a hearing impairment that it needs to be corrected--which I wear a hearing aid. If anyone has any information they can give me I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks

What part of the country are you in? There are some solid federal laws regarding disabilities however each state handles it differently on their level.

This doesn't sound cool at all seeing as you how said from the start you had some hearing loss, you are wearing a hearing aid and you can hear with your Littman's just fine. You are already in the 2nd semester and have passed everything.

Far as a soft voice how soft are we talking? I can't always hear people with soft voices and I have no hearing loss.

Perhaps these people from the link below can help...theres a great article written about your very same problem with school written by Diana Maheady Ed. D., ARNP and you guessed it she has some hearing loss.

http://www.hearinglossweb.com/Issues/Access/Education/nurse.htm

AmericanRN · Feb 9, 2008

ahhh here it is florida law on civil rights which does include a person with a hearing loss.

there is a specific passage about persons being allowed to use their full productive capacities to the state....or some such legalese either way take a look

760.01 purposes; construction; title.--

(1) sections 760.01-760.11 and 509.092 shall be cited as the "florida civil rights act of 1992."

(2) the general purposes of the florida civil rights act of 1992 are to secure for all individuals within the state freedom from discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicap, or marital status and thereby to protect their interest in personal dignity, to make available to the state their full productive capacities, to secure the state against domestic strife and unrest, to preserve the public safety, health, and general welfare, and to promote the interests, rights, and privileges of individuals within the state.

(3) the florida civil rights act of 1992 shall be construed according to the fair import of its terms and shall be liberally construed to further the general purposes stated in this section and the special purposes of the particular provision involved.

history.--s. 1, ch. 69-287; s. 1, ch. 72-48; s. 1, ch. 77-341; s. 1, ch. 92-177; s. 4, ch. 92-282. note.--former ss. 13.201, 23.161.

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?app_mode=display_statute&search_string=&url=ch0760/sec01.htm

llg, PhD, RN · Feb 9, 2008

You really should be talking to an attorney about this. We are nurses here and NOT qualified to give legal advice.

Good luck to you.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Feb 9, 2008

as mentioned by previous post, here on allnurses.com and as per terms of service we can not give legal advice

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