It wasn’t until she turned five years old that Josefina Dueñas was diagnosed with a disorder her family had long suspected: hipoacusia bilateral, or severe hearing loss that affected both of her ears.
Almost 60 years later, as Dueñas walked into Ukiah’s city hall, located in northern California’s Mendocino county, she recounted her childhood memories and the years that trained her to overcome the many challenges that still arise due to her hearing disability.
