Before getting in to this, a little background information is needed. I (17M) was born deaf to a hearing family. My family and I sign at home but I need to speak while at school as the high school I go to isn’t the most accessible or disability friendly. When I was nine, my parents paid for me to get a surgery to receive cochlear implants (CI’s) which I only really use when at school or out with my hearing friends that don’t sign. I attend a mainstream school and as I stated, it isn’t disability friendly. Now, onto the situation at hand.

Yesterday I was wearing a beanie in class. Now, usually that wouldn’t be a problem when it is my normal teacher but yesterday we had a sub. The beanie I was wearing was covering the transmitter of my CI, while the part that hooks onto my ear was noticeable. I know that there are quite a lot of kids that tend to get into trouble because they’d wear AirPods or whatever devices people use nowadays for music that aren’t headphones, mainly because those aren’t allowed in classes.
Usually, my teachers are aware of my CI and know that it in fact is not a music device so I never have any trouble but this was a sub teacher, she wasn’t aware of my CI’s at first. Keep in mind that ‘at first’.

While doing some assignments, this sub who we’ll call Mrs K, came up to my desk. I don’t know what exactly she thought my CI’s were but she didn’t like them. Originally, she questioned me and told me to remove them immediately or she’d have to write me up. I explained to her, made her very aware that what I was wearing were for me to hear her and even took off my beanie to show her. She pretty much called bullshit and attempted to take my CI’s off. This was an absolute no-no. I, on instinct, slapped her hands away and stood up before starting to lecture her, telling her she has no right to try and take my CI’s.

After this little stir, I sat back down, thinking that the situation was most likely over. I was wrong. A little bit afterwards, she came up from behind me and literally snatched my CI’s from off my head. After this I got up yet again and started full on yelling at this lady, telling her that she is not allowed to take assistive devices and threatened to report her. I know in this situation, me getting physically wasn’t the right response but I was scared as hell that she’d break them so I grabbed her hands and tried to get my CI’s back, which I didn’t.

Of course after that she called the principal in and me having no clue what the hell was being said, I just straight up told the principal that she took my CI’s and isn’t giving them back. In the end, I got my CI’s back, but obviously due to me putting my hands on a staff member I got suspended and my principal said I was in the wrong for the situation. My dad is threatening to report this sub teacher to the administration.

So, Am I The Asshole?