Cochlear Implant User Kennedy Patlan: From Self-Advocacy Into Career in Nonprofit Communication

1 in 12,500 people use cochlear implant (CI) according to the United Kingdom Ear Foundation. That’s 0.00008% of the world population. The low visibility translates to a strong need for advocacy among CI users. Such a need and exposure to advocacy has laid the career foundation for some among us. Kennedy Patlan, an American cochlear implant user since childhood, has pursued her calling in non-profit communication since her university days. 

Kennedy was first implanted in her left ear when she was 22 months and in her right ear when she was 9. The cause of her deafness might have been due to complications at birth. The cause wasn’t verified.

Advocacy as the Centrality of Her College Experience

Kennedy graduated from Syracuse University with a triple major (advertising, citizenship and civic engagement, and women’s and gender studies) and an extensive list of accolades celebrating her academic excellence (Dean’s List) and community service (Remembrance Scholar and Newhouse Scholar) in 2018. Her college career was characterised by strong involvement in activism. She was the first Blackstone LaunchPad Engagement Scholar in which she provided peer mentoring of student ventures with a special focus on social enterprise and civic ventures. She participated in a student-run voter registration campaign that ultimately registered more than 500 students on the Syracuse campus in 2016.

She also assumed a role in various student bodies. Namely, as the Assistant Director of Human Resources for the on-campus public relations firm, as a Syracuse Philanthropy Council member, the Student Affairs Advisory Board member and the New Campus Facilities Board member. In short, Kennedy is a doer with a heart for social issues.

It Extends to Her Career

Kennedy’s interest in social causes is also reflected in her career choices. She got her first job in Washington D.C. in which she coordinated campaigns related to diversity and mental health. She switched from her first job to her current job with Ashoka, also in Washington D.C.. She assists the team with identifying America’s leading social entrepreneurs, and helps to facilitate programming and support resources for Fellows, as they conquer some of the country’s most pressing issues.

Her Mother Plays A Role in It

Kennedy attributes her interest in advocacy to her mother who is an elementary school teacher. Her mother made it a point to explain to Kennedy’s classmates about Kennedy’s hearing condition in elementary school. Kennedy would later inform her classmates about her CI at the start of the school year in middle school and high school. She would be upfront about the lip-covering being unhelpful for effective communication. Such experiences empowered her to push for policies that cater to individuals with hearing needs later at university.

CI as Part of Her Identity

An important truth underpinning Kennedy’s outlook is that having CI is truly a part of who she is. Her goals have been to make her deafness understood. In a group setting, she makes an effort to make sure the person she’s conversing with is conscious of her hearing condition. On a date, she informs her counterpart when she feels ready to do so.

To all of us who are self-conscious about our CI from time to time, Kennedy says that we should, and can do whatever we want. CI isn’t holding us back. It’s those who couldn’t see past our CI that hold us back.

Kennedy and family

You could find more cochlear implant user stories here.

CI Project collects cochlear implant user stories. I’d like to invite you to join the private Facebook group. You’ll receive an update of each new story (about once a month) and will get to interact with the characters of each story there. I’m also looking for more cochlear implant user stories. I’d appreciate it if you could nominate a cochlear implant user (including yourself) for me to write a story about!