I am Deaf with a capital D and have been since I was born. I can still hear a bit, but not much without help.
At the time of this story, I had recently started wearing hearing aids as prior to that I had not known that I was eligible. I have industrial piercings (a bar across the tops of my ears) that I tuck the wire of my aids behind to prevent them from falling off. I also have hearing aid stickers and charms that I rotate depending on my mood. I am incredibly passionate about disability advocacy and disability rights, so I took several disability studies classes in undergrad.
During this story, I was in an entry-level disability studies class that was viewed as a relatively easy class, so there were a lot of frat bro type students in it. We were mid-discussion on accommodations and mobility/accessibility aids at the time of this story when one of said frat bros joined the conversation.
Me: “I’ve been using a hearing aid for a bit now, and I recently got an industrial piercing to help keep the wire tucked behind my ear. It keeps it in place, so it doesn’t fall off.”
Frat Guy #1: *Eyes full of joy and whimsy.* “Wait, hold up! That’s actually so cool! It’s like you’re a cyborg! Like, some steampunk, body-mod, half-human, half-machine hybrid!”
Frat Guy #2: *Nodding.* “Yeah, it’s like in those sci-fi movies where the tech is a part of who you are! That’s so sick!”
Me: *Laughing.* “Well, I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a cyborg, but that’s a really fun way to put it. I’m definitely not that cool.”
Frat Guy #1: “Nah, Cyborg Girl, that’s super cool. Can we see it?”
After explaining how fragile it is and showing them what it looked like with the piercing, I let them pass it around their little group.
There were probably about five of these huge frat guys, passing around my hearing aid like it was some sort of precious gem, oohing and aahing at the sticker and charms. Eventually, it was passed back to me, and I put it back on.
From that point forward, my nickname to those guys was “Cyborg Girl,” and they were incredibly serious about accessibility for me. If people in discussions didn’t speak loudly enough, one of the guys would tell them off for it. I took a few other classes with them they would correct the professors as well.
In academia, which is full of structural and personal ableism, that interaction with them was such a breath of fresh air. In other situations, their comments might have been a bit mean, but their curiosity and awe were so genuine. I’ve dealt with a lot of academic ableism so whenever I feel beaten down by it, I just think about those guys and their allyship. It was just so sweet and definitely a faith in humanity restored situation.