269 STUDENT SPOTLOGHT DESIGNED BY OLIVIA DUNN HEARD AT HARDING HEARD AT HARDING Freshmen Haydn and Hunter Corker relied on cochlear implants to hear. TWINING Haydn and Hunter Corker pose with their cochlear implants on the Front Lawn. They were the youngest twins in Texas to receive cochlear implants. Photo by: Kaitlyn Cutshall TWIN BROTHERS HAYDN AND HUNTER CORKER were born Deaf, and even as adults, they were learning to rely on each other and their community. At only one year old, the brothers were the youngest twins in Texas to receive cochlear implants. A cochlear implant consisted of a surgically implanted internal device and an external headset and speech processor. These parts helped bypass the inner ear and carry sound straight to the auditory nerves. These devices were beneficial but still had their limitations. “Even though we have cochlear implants, it doesn’t solve all our problems,” Hunter Corker said. “It’s just a microphone.” They removed the external component of the devices when they slept and were careful around water. Even when the devices, or “ears” as Haydn and Hunter referred to them, were in desired conditions, they did not always work perfectly. Places with background noise or people who spoke in hushed tones still presented problems, so the twins still had to rely heavily on lip reading. “Our ‘ears’ aren’t superpowers,” Haydn Corker said. “They don’t even bring us all the way back to a normal level of hearing. I’d say it’s probably about halfway.” Aside from difficulties with interpersonal communication, growing up Deaf also meant having to miss out on some activities that most people wouldn’t realize. The brothers could not participate in youth sports or pool parties due to risks posed to their hearing devices. Despite the challenges they faced, both brothers agreed that going through this together improved their relationship. “I think it’s helped us become really close with each other,” Hunter Corker said. “We are always checking on each other to see if the other needs something, like extra batteries, or if they didn’t hear what someone said.” Aside from each other, the twins also relied on their friends and family. Their mother, Karen Corker, associate professor of accounting, expressed how far the twins had come. “Just because you have some challenges from a hearing perspective, doesn’t mean that you can’t participate in most things,” Corker said. “It also doesn’t mean you should expect less of Deaf individuals in accomplishing things. With discipline and hard work in speech therapy for many years, the twins are straight-A students and participate in most things that regular hearing individuals participate in.” Help from developing technology and increased accessibility, a supportive community and each other, Haydn and Hunter Corker continued to overcome the challenges they faced. WRITTEN BY WATKINS KELLY HEARD AT HARDING
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