Deaf woman overcomes adversity, becomes scientist at Birmingham VA Health Care System

“My childhood was filled with imagination of adventure and curiosity, and I was plain carefree as a child should be,” said LaMont.

LaMont said she experienced a normal childhood, but at the age of 12, tragedy struck when she was diagnosed with Neurosarcoidosis – a rare, life-threatening disease caused by inflammation and abnormal cell deposits in any part of the nervous system that typically occurs in adults, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The disease robbed LaMont of her hearing in both ears overnight, and according to LaMont, she was deemed the world’s youngest and only living person with the disease at the time of diagnosis by the Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama.

“My world was turned upside down,” said LaMont. “I went from being a talkative, joyous child to being quiet, introverted, and depressed.”

As LaMont battled to survive, doctors informed her family to enroll in the “Make-A-Wish” foundation and prepare for the worst. However, LaMont had other plans for her life.

“Through the power of prayer, the doctor’s guidance, medical procedures and chemotherapeutic drugs, God spared my life,” said LaMont.

After the traumatic life events, LaMont’s family involved her in intensive therapies and introduced her to American Sign Language (ASL) when it was determined that her hearing would not return.   

A year later, LaMont received a cochlear implant. The surgically implanted hearing device brought back some light into her life as she learned to navigate her new normal. It wasn’t until she attended Gallaudet University located in Washington D.C., a school for the deaf and hard of hearing, that she fully immersed herself into ASL and the deaf community and culture.

“Becoming fluent in ASL and having total communication allowed me to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance again,” said LaMont. “I found my confidence and ‘visual voice’ in the performing arts when I was a part of the Gallaudet Dance Company and another professional dance company called the National Deaf Dance Theater.”

It was then that LaMont started her first petition as a deaf advocate to initiate captioning for movie theatres in Alabama. After much struggle, LaMont’s efforts proved successful, and today nearly all movie theatres in Montgomery and Birmingham are captioned for deaf and hard of hearing accessibility. That was just the beginning of LaMont’s advocacy for the deaf community. 

After graduating from Gallaudet University with her Bachelor’s in Biology and a minor in Chemistry and Dance, LaMont continued to use her newfound “visual voice” through participating in several pageants, becoming Miss Black Deaf DC, Miss Black Deaf Student Union and Miss Deaf Alabama.

“My platform for Miss Deaf Alabama was deaf education for hearing families,” said LaMont. “It’s very important to educate, encourage, and support hearing families that struggle with making the best decisions for their deaf child and how to raise them.”

LaMont then became an Awareness Support Coordinator with Cochlear Americas to educate families about the option of cochlear implant devices.

“I saw this as a great opportunity to expand my deaf advocacy work and bridge the gap between the deaf and hearing communities,” said LaMont.

After her time with Cochlear Americas, she decided to continue her original career path in science and attend Auburn University at Montgomery where she became the first black deaf student to graduate in the Medical Laboratory Science Program in 2016. Shortly after, LaMont decided to compete in another pageant and became the first black deaf person to win Miss Elite Earth Alabama 2016.

“That was my first ‘all hearing contestants’ pageant,” said LaMont. “I went on to compete for Miss Elite Earth in Washington D.C. and while I did not walk away with the title, it was one of my most inspiring experiences because I had a chance to further advocate for the deaf community and spread awareness.”

From there, she attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham and graduated with her Master of Science in Clinical Pathologist Assistant. According to LaMont, she is currently the first and only black deaf recipient with a degree of this kind from UAB.

Through adversity and persistence, LaMont’s childhood dream of becoming a scientist came true at the Birmingham VA Health Care System where she now works as a medical laboratory scientist and analyzes all specimens, including COVID-19.

“My employment at BVAHCS was intentional,” said LaMont. “I knew without a doubt that I would someday work for the VA to serve Veterans alongside my family members. I am so grateful for this opportunity to work at the VA and to work in science. One of my goals now is to gain support and find a mechanism whereby I can use my current degree to continue to contribute to the Veteran community treated at BVAHCS.”

Even while working as a scientist, LaMont continues her deaf advocacy work to bring together the hearing and deaf communities, while also proving that there are no challenges that can stop her from achieving her goals.

“No matter the ‘limitations’ as some may see it, you can still do anything you want, just a little bit differently,” said LaMont. “You are in control of how you perceive life experiences. With God’s guidance, every negative can be turned into a positive if you allow it. I lost my natural hearing overnight as a child, but I also gained an entire new world - the deaf world, an entire new outlook on life, an entire experience and a form of wisdom that comes from that experience.”

References:

Nicole D. LaMont Biography

https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Neurosarcoidosis-Information-Page