Shannon Heroux, 32, a TikTok creator dedicated to spreading awareness about deaf people, has recently released a very emotional video on her channel. In it, Shannon tearfully explained how a Los Angeles Dunkin' Donuts refused to serve her because she was deaf and how painful this whole experience has been.
“I was confused, I couldn’t hear anything,” the woman recounted an incident that happened a while ago. “I wear a cochlear implant, but I was not wearing it at that time. I've never been refused service before, and it hurts,” she said with tears running down her face. According to her account, the manager refused to pull down a mask so she could lip read.
The video received 13.8 million views with the caption saying “I want to spread awareness on how this is not okay.” Immediately, it sparked a very important conversation and many people joined to show their support for Shannon.
“When I was four years old, I lost my hearing due to a birth defect called “Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct (EVA),'' Shannon Heroux told Bored Panda in an interview. “It’s a rare defect that allows brain fluid to leak into the ears drowning the hair cells. EVA is heavily associated with childhood hearing loss.’
Sadly, Shannon said that she has been treated poorly her entire life by those that didn’t understand hearing loss. “I’ve been called names, been discriminated against, and even ignored by the deaf community as well because I used hearing devices. I was also treated in ways that made people look at me differently just because I couldn’t hear,” she recounted.
However, it all changed for Shannon when she got the cochlear implant. “When I got the cochlear implant at 15, it was very life-changing and people treated me like their equals. High school was amazing because of that. Everyone knew me and saw the difference having the implant has made for me so I got treated even better because of that.”
When it comes to the incident at Dunkin’ Donuts, Shannon was very confused about what happened. “I didn’t know how to feel. After I left the establishment, a huge wave of emotions came over me and I realized how I was discriminated against for my hearing disability.”
The incident made her realize how much discrimination has occurred during this pandemic and how much more of it she experienced the last 1.5 years compared to entire life. “It was time to step up and spread awareness and get people to understand that this is emotionally exhausting and unbelievably stressful on mental health,” Shannon told us.
Image credits: sionnan_x3
Image credits: Chris Waits
Shannon explained that “being deaf is not a visible disability so no one should ever be judged or questioned about it.”
“I wish people would be more understanding that not every deaf person is equal in regards to their hearing loss. Many of us rely on lip reading and it’s how we communicate effectively with or without hearing devices. It’s important for those that are able to, take that little extra step to help create a good communicative environment to prevent any humility or discomfort for all.”
Moreover, deaf people are more capable than they are given credit for. “The masks are a big hindrance for communicating so just please be mindful if someone needs some extra assistance!”
The incident sparked a very important conversation and many people joined to share their experiences and show support for Shannon
