At 31-years-old, Alec Nash decided to follow his passion and study law at Victoria University. While a law degree is challenging in itself, he is thankful he had his cochlear implant throughout the journey. Alec successfully completed his degree in 2020.
He believes he is the first person in New Zealand to have completed a law degree and subsequently be admitted to the bar as an enrolled barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand after having received a cochlear implant. Alec aims to specialise in employment law. Alec was a toddler when his parents noticed his hearing was affected. He was fitted with hearing aids, which helped to some extent, but school was still a challenge.
“It was difficult to grasp the understanding of what the teachers were saying anytime they turned their backs to the blackboard,” Alec says.
Alec Nash
He received a cochlear implant in his right ear in 2004 after suffering a head injury, which wiped out the rest of his hearing at 20-years-old. “After this incident my hearing loss met the threshold to receive an implant and it’s been life-changing ever since,” says Alec, who was previously working as a Senior Advisor for consumer issues in a government agency.
“I’ve had my implant for 16 years and it played a big part in giving me the confidence to study for a law degree in 2015. University was a challenge as lecturers would walk around as they spoke, while I was taking notes and trying to listen to them. There is a big difference between hearing someone speak and understanding what they are saying. It was a juggle, but my cochlear implant made it possible for me.”
The Southern Cochlear Implant Programme has supported Alec with adjustments and processors during the past 14 years.