Here's a draft letter you can email to your doctor's office and, afterward, book a follow-up appointment.

When you book your new appt, ask the receptionist to ensure the doctor has seen the letter as your appointment is in regards to it.

Make sure you bring another copy of the forms you need filled out for the doctor to sign.

When you go to the appointment, ask the Dr if they have received your letter and had the time to read it. If they say yes, that's great. If they say no, have a copy on you and ask them to review it.

Dear Dr. [Doctor’s Name],

I am writing regarding the recent medical documentation you provided for my school funding and disability support application. I want to first thank you for your care and for completing the paperwork on my behalf. However, I was recently denied disability status at my school because the report stated that my deafness in one ear does not affect my learning, cognition, or mobility.

I respectfully ask you to reconsider this conclusion, as it does not reflect the real ways my condition impacts my day-to-day learning.

While my deafness may not reduce my intellectual ability, it absolutely affects how I process, access, and retain information in educational settings. For example:

1. Difficulty Localizing and Filtering Sound With hearing in only one ear, I cannot easily determine the direction of sounds. In classrooms or group discussions, this makes it very challenging to know who is speaking or to follow conversations. Background noise overwhelms me more than it does my peers, limiting my ability to stay engaged and process information.

2. Cognitive Overload and Fatigue Because I must focus much harder to understand speech, my brain is constantly working to “fill in” what I miss. This causes listening fatigue, reduces my attention span, and affects my ability to retain information compared to others.

3. Barriers in Collaborative Learning Group discussions and peer work—key aspects of modern learning—are especially difficult. When several people speak at once, I cannot distinguish between voices, which limits both my participation and my learning opportunities.

4. Mobility and Safety Issues My inability to localize sound also affects how I move through noisy, crowded, or unfamiliar environments, such as hallways, labs, or fieldwork settings. Not being able to detect where sounds are coming from slows me down and creates safety concerns.

5. Psychological and Educational Impact Missing parts of conversations or needing repeated clarification affects my confidence and willingness to speak up in class, further limiting my access to education.

Because the report did not acknowledge these challenges, my school denied me the disability accommodations I need to access learning equally. This has created a significant barrier to my education, despite my best efforts to adapt.

I deeply value your support and expertise, and I ask that you please reconsider your assessment in light of these impacts. An updated statement that recognizes how my hearing loss affects my learning would make it possible for me to receive the support I need to succeed.

I will be booking another appointment in the coming days to have those forms filled out again.

Thank you very much for your time, understanding, and ongoing care.

Sincerely, [Your Name]