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A student at Memorial University in Newfoundland who is hard of hearing is considering filing a human rights complaint after one of his professors allegedly refused to wear a sound-transmitting device because it goes against her faith.

William Sears, a third-year history major, said he’d never encountered a professor who was unwilling to accommodate his hearing impairment until he enrolled in Ranee Panjabi’s History of Espionage course. According to Sears, the professor cited religious reasons for not wearing the device.

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“What she is claiming as religious grounds is ultimately a choice,” Sears said Thursday. “I cannot change my physical disability. With all the power in the world, I cannot make myself not hard of hearing.”

The same professor made headlines in 1996 when another student lodged a similar complaint against her.

In a statement, the university said the case is challenging because of competing individual rights.