To most outsiders, Wells doesn’t fit the mold of a “deaf person”— after all, her use of a cochlear implant allows her to hear. For her friends, her disability was never a topic of discussion, as it was never seen as a defining characteristic, she was simply a great friend who happened to be deaf. To those with typical hearing, being deaf may seem like a significant challenge, but for Wells, it is simply a natural part of life.
“I don’t like when people throw me a pity party,” Wells said, “It would be one thing if I had my hearing to begin with and lost it, but it’s all I’ve ever known.”
Wells was diagnosed as deaf at just four months old after her mother noticed she did not respond to sounds the way her older brother had at the same age. A visit to the doctor confirmed what her parents had suspected: she was fully deaf. In response, her parents took the initiative to learn sign language, attending lessons four days a week from home. This commitment allowed them to teach Wells American Sign Language from an early age, ensuring she could communicate effectively as she grew.
Her parents consistently encouraged self-advocacy to build confidence in both the classroom and sports. At age three, she began preschool to gain early experience interacting with hearing students. She attended a mainstream deaf and hearing school from kindergarten through fifth grade before transitioning to a school exclusively for hearing students.
Many people Wells meets are unaware that she is deaf—and to her, it makes no difference whether they know or not.
"It bugs me when people are surprised that I'm able to play sports, because they have a preconception of what a deaf person can and can't do,” Wells said, “My hearing disability doesn't take away from my athletic ability.”
She also highlighted the misconception that hearing people have about speech, adding: “A lot of people assume that all deaf people are stupid, but that’s not the case. Others just don’t speak in their language (ASL).”
