When Health Care Leads to Job Reinstatement
A young, disabled Hispanic single mother, Didi was independently supporting her and her daughter as a truck driver. She was informed that in order to continue working, she would need to pass the Department of Transportation physical. Having a severe hearing loss in both ears and no form of prescriptive amplification, she was unsuccessful. After one test result, she lost all of her resources and her income became $0 a month. In time, she lost her home and was living in a hotel with her daughter when she called United Way’s 211 line for help.
Thankfully, 211 put her in contact with Central Florida Speech & Hearing Center.
After Central Florida Speech and Hearing reviewed her case history and hearing evaluation, hearing aids were discussed and Didi was fit with two hearing aids on October 11, 2022. Her daughter was present for the fitting. She cried tears of joy and relief with her daughter when her hearing aids were first turned on. Didi had not heard her daughter’s speech so clearly in many years. She could even hear her own voice which she was not used to hearing. The treatment she was provided allowed her the ability to succeed: to pass her physical and get back to work as a truck driver.
We are so grateful for Central Florida Speech & Hearing Center to provide the United Way of Central Florida funded Audiology for Adults program, allowing for individuals like Didi to regain their independence and potentially their careers through hearing diagnostics and treatment. Didi shared, “The [Central Florida Speech & Hearing] Center’s help has literally changed my life…. I will shout it from the rooftops!!!”
