A student made comments about my disability during clinical and I’m not sure what to do
I’m currently in nursing school and was in clinical today when another student started asking me about my hearing aids. They asked if I was born with hearing loss or if it happened later. I also have facial paralysis, and they said something along the lines of, “I noticed your face was lopsided too.”
Then they said, “When I ask people about their disability, I’m either going to get a really boring answer or an interesting answer.”
For some context, I had a brain tumour in the past that caused my hearing loss and facial paralysis. It was an extremely difficult period of my life, and it took me a lot of courage to eventually go back to school. I’ve never really had anyone at school comment on my face or hearing aids before, so this caught me completely off guard.
I know people can be curious and I don't necessarily mind answering questions about my hearing aids when they're asked respectfully. But something about the way this student approached it and especially the “boring or interesting answer” comment really bothered me. It felt like they were treating something that was a very difficult part of my life as an interesting story.
I’m not sure what to do now. Should I just let it go? Should I say something to the student if it happens again? Would it be appropriate to mention it to my clinical instructor, or would that be making too big a deal out of it?
I’d really appreciate some outside perspective because I’m still thinking about the interaction and wondering if I’m overreacting.