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Deaf entitlement
JUPITER, Fla. - Syed Tajuddin will get his high school diploma on Friday. During the ceremony he'll hand over his hearing aids which he borrowed from the school district.
"All of my life, I haven't been hearing like really good but when I got the hearing aid I didn't know technology like that existed. So it was a good experience," said Tajuddin.
Syed's hearing aids will be adjusted for 9th grader Kayla Cohen. Through an interpreter, Kayla told us she looks forward to using the hearing aids when she's in class. Her interpreter Joanna Peluso said, "Because if I have my hearing aids, I can hear better with them without them I can't hear anything."
Students like Syed and Kayla cannot afford the thousands of dollars for their own hearing aids. Under the school district policy, those using the newest models of hearing aids give them back. But some teachers have decided to help out with a graduation gift of sorts.
Dr. Kelly Easterling told us, "It broke our hearts to see them lose their hearing aids and go silent right at graduation, so we go out and find donors in the community and we find ways to purchase them hearing aids."
So far, the teachers have raised enough money to buy hearing aids for Syed. They will continue to raise funds for 12 other students. Syed said, "When she told me that, I was so glad that I can go on ahead to college with all of the support and all that and so it's really like a good thing."
Syed and the class of 2014 at Jupiter Community High School will be graduating Friday morning at 8:00 a-m at the South Florida Fairgrounds.
"All of my life, I haven't been hearing like really good but when I got the hearing aid I didn't know technology like that existed. So it was a good experience," said Tajuddin.
Syed's hearing aids will be adjusted for 9th grader Kayla Cohen. Through an interpreter, Kayla told us she looks forward to using the hearing aids when she's in class. Her interpreter Joanna Peluso said, "Because if I have my hearing aids, I can hear better with them without them I can't hear anything."
Students like Syed and Kayla cannot afford the thousands of dollars for their own hearing aids. Under the school district policy, those using the newest models of hearing aids give them back. But some teachers have decided to help out with a graduation gift of sorts.
Dr. Kelly Easterling told us, "It broke our hearts to see them lose their hearing aids and go silent right at graduation, so we go out and find donors in the community and we find ways to purchase them hearing aids."
So far, the teachers have raised enough money to buy hearing aids for Syed. They will continue to raise funds for 12 other students. Syed said, "When she told me that, I was so glad that I can go on ahead to college with all of the support and all that and so it's really like a good thing."
Syed and the class of 2014 at Jupiter Community High School will be graduating Friday morning at 8:00 a-m at the South Florida Fairgrounds.
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