Professor caught berating hard-of-hearing student in viral TikTok video

A California professor has been put on paid leave after a viral TikTok video showed him chastising a hard-of-hearing student.

Footage shows Michael Abram, a physiology professor at Oxnard College, getting increasingly annoyed at the student for not answering him, despite her saying “I’m hard of hearing.”

He accuses the student – who self-identifies as hard-of-hearing – of “not paying attention” and “not trying” after she says her translator is going over the questions with her.

After Abram repeatedly asks the student to have her counsellor speak to him, she agrees but says that it feels like he is “attacking” her.

“I’m not attacking you, I’m not attacking you,” the professor says, adding: “I’m just significantly disappointed in you. That’s all, that’s all it is. I’m not attacking you.”

The Ventura County Community College District said in a statement that they were “deeply troubled by the behaviour”.

Luis Sanchez, the president of the college, put out a statement in support of the student.

“Like many of you, this morning I watched the unfortunate TikTok video which has been circulating on social media,” he said.

“I am saddened and outraged behind words that any of our students should either be or feel disrespected by any of our employees.”

When approached for comment by The Independent, Abram did not immediately respond.