Alisha Smith, Author at Hear and Say

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From singing along with Disney Princess Moana, to gymnastics lessons, to exploring outside with her friends at Kindy – Georgia is an energetic three-year-old with many interests.

“Georgia loves playing with dinosaurs and Lego, and going shopping or out for babychinos with me or her grandma and Aunty,” said Shay, Georgia’s mum.

Just after Georgia was born, she was diagnosed with hearing loss picked up through the Newborn Hearing Screening.

“There was a lot of processing to be done, the various stages of a kind of grief for our own expectations. Her dad and I were unsure about Georgia’s future and what it would look like,” said Shay.

Georgia has a profound hearing loss, and when her parents started to look into cochlear implants as an option, they were put in contact with Hear and Say on the Gold Coast.

“Most of the world communicates verbally so I felt that it was important for Georgia to be part of that if possible,” said Shay.

“We wanted to be able to give her all the opportunities that her friends and family got. I really wanted Georgia to be able to experience everything that the world had to offer,” she said.

When Georgia was nine months old she had surgery for a cochlear implant and had them switched on for the first time. Since then she has grown into bubbly little girl and developed an incredible vocabulary, exceeding her parents’ expectations.

“Georgia has so many words, it shocks people when they realise she has the cochlear implants. Georgia is always kicking goals and loves wearing her ‘ears’ (except when she hears the word no!),” said Shay

“From being at the start of an unknown journey with a baby with a profound hearing loss to here watching Georgia grow in leaps and bounds, it’s mind blowing how far she has come,” she said.

To achieve the incredible outcomes of listening and speaking takes a lot of hard work. Georgia and her family have undertaken regular speech therapy and audiology appointments at Hear and Say to make this a reality.

“Hear and say has made a huge difference, from the support upon the initial diagnosis of hearing loss, to the weekly speech therapy lessons we have. Georgia really enjoys going to her lessons and loves everyone there,” said Shay

“My hope for Georgia’s future is that she is happy and confident, I hope she can meet and surpass all her goals, that she has friends, experiences and really enjoys life.

“We are looking forward to seeing her grow and develop into a well-rounded little person.”

Julia has the world at her fingertips – growing up in Brisbane, now she works as a senior manager of communications and marketing while studying for her Honours in psychology online while living in Canada.

A number of areas of study have piqued Julia’s interest, first a Bachelor of Design followed by a Graduate Diploma in psychology.

“After graduating from uni and working in media and advertising agencies for a few years, I decided to travel and see what the world had to offer. I left Australia in May 2011 and backpacked in Asia, Europe, and North America for six months,” said Julia.

“The final stop on my round-the-world ticket was Vancouver, Canada and as I have dual Australian-Canadian citizenship I thought I would stick around for a year or two before returning back to Brisbane,” said Julia.

“I found a job and a place to live in Vancouver – and I’m still living here ten years later!”

Rewind over 30 years to 1986 when Julia was just 14 months old and her parents had just found out their daughter had a severe hearing loss.

“I am the only deaf person in my family so Mum and Dad chose to teach me to listen and speak with the hope that I could attend mainstream schools and have access to the same opportunities as my sister and hearing peers,” said Julia.

As one of the very first children to walk through Hear and Say’s doors (known as the Mouse House back then) the centre holds a very special place in Julia and her family’s hearts.

“I was fitted with hearing aids and began seeing Dimity at 16 months old, after we were introduced via the Shepherd Centre in Sydney,” said Julia.

“At the time the centre was in Toowong. I came in often for speech therapy until I was five and a half years old. I was one of Dimity’s early babies, before the Hear and Say Centre was born,” she said.

“My earliest memories are of visiting Dimity in Toowong. I remember appointments were always lots of fun, with plenty of toys and games and books. I also remember Mac the Mouse and the Mouse House quite clearly, as well as all the excitement of building and moving into larger premises.”

Julia’s hearing started to worsen and at 10 years old she underwent surgery for a cochlear implant – at this time it was standard practice to only implant on one side.

“I went back to Hear and Say after I received my first cochlear implant in 1995 to learn how to listen with it,” she said.

“I remember coming home after my implant was switched on and hearing the fallen leaves on our front lawn crunch under my feet for the first time. I still love that sound.”

When Julia was 24 years old she received a second implant in her left ear.

“Surprisingly, I hear better out of my second implant despite waiting for so long before having it implanted. I found learning to listen with it much easier than I had with my first implant.”

Julia loves to travel and make the most of living in Canada. She also loves to read, spend time outdoors and try out the cafes and restaurants Vancouver has to offer. Julia reflected on the difference hearing has made to her life.

“Being able to listen and speak has opened up the world for me. It’s given me independence and the ability to freely communicate with others and follow my interests,” said Julia.

“Dimity and Hear and Say gave my parents the tools they needed to help me learn to listen and speak and it has made all the difference in my life. I feel incredibly privileged to have been born at the time and place that I was, where we had access to auditory-verbal therapy and modern hearing technology,” she said.

Two-year-old Freya from Townsville is quite the ballerina, off to the local studio each week, performing on stage at concerts and practising for exams with her older sister, Arianna.

“Freya has come out of her shell since she started ballet – she is incredibly reserved and it took a number of weeks before she would even attempt the classes,” Freya’s mum, Emily said.

At three months old, Freya was diagnosed with a mild hearing loss which professionals had hoped would remain steady, however by 12 months old her hearing loss had progressed.

“Freya initially wore a bone conduction hearing aid due to issues with fluid in her ear. When she was 13 months old and the fluid was improving, she was fitted with her first pair of hearing aids,” Emily said.

Finding out about Freya’s hearing loss and the experiences that followed felt like a rollercoaster of emotions for the family.

“Due to the floods some of our family were displaced, some were away and others were around children who were unwell, we didn’t have many family members able to visit when Freya was a newborn. We mostly kept the news she’d failed her hospital hearing screening to ourselves,” said Emily.

On the first newborn hearing screen Freya was referred on for further testing of her right ear.

“Freya had a second test and failed on both ears this time. We were still advised it was most likely fluid, however a failure on both ears could indicate a hearing loss.

“I remember feeling so hopeless and alone, my husband wasn’t able to visit as he was caring for our other children, so I was in hospital on my own trying to make sense of it all.

“Our first two children passed on the first test, so this was new for us. I had started to suspect Freya did have a hearing loss due to her nature – she was the most quiet baby, and apart from birth she only cried on one occasion during our hospital stay.”

The family met with an audiologist at the Townsville University Hospital when Freya was three months old for an ABR test to confirm if Freya had hearing loss.

“I can remember the room clearly, and black leather chair I sat in. It was a small room with a door that had a tiny window with a blind. It took two hours to do the test, and at the end the audiologist quietly said, ‘I’m sorry to say she has a hearing loss in both ears, worse in the right ear’,” Emily said.

“I remember looking at my husband and silently crying. It was the unknown of what we faced and what our daughter would face.

“My husband held me in the car park and we both cried. It was the one and only time he has ever cried about Freya – Matthew is the strong one.

“When our daughter Arianna was told she said, ‘she can share my room mum, when she is older, I can be her ears at night’.

When Freya was five months old she had specialist genetic testing to find the cause of her hearing loss, including a heel prick to test for cytomegalovirus (CMV).

“This was the first of many tests we would wait on. This was one of the hardest parts of our journey, waiting on results,” Emily said.

They were referred to an ENT for review of Freya’s ear canals to see if Freya had any malformation or structural issues with the ear canal, who then referred them to Hear and Say in Townsville for speech therapy and audiology services.

“We met with Amy from Hear and Say before Freya was 12 months old and had an initial consult, and when Freya was almost two we met Liza and started speech therapy sessions – Freya responded the best she ever had with the Hear and Say team,” Emily said.

“It was the first time we could complete a hearing test in one sitting. Liza and Lisa changed tactics when Freya became disinterested or distracted. It was for me, one of the best experiences.

“We have also noticed the difference it has made with Freya – she is a shy and reserved little girl. Freya would only speak to her family, and simply smile at anyone else or look away.

“Since coming to Hear and Say, Freya is talking with others – she is also communicating with her peers at day care, which she wasn’t able to do for quite some time.

“It has made such a remarkable difference and we don’t believe she would be where she is today without the regular speech therapy she does with Liza. It’s one of Freya’s highlights for the week.”

Hear and Say aims to empower parents to be their child’s speech and language teacher, arming them with the knowledge and tools they need.

“Liza has not only worked with Freya, but with our entire family. She has provided us with examples of ways to continue lessons at home and given us a plan and goals to work towards.

Reflecting on their experience over the last two years, Emily and Matthew wished they could tell themselves that there would be hard days, but there would also be joy – it would be okay.

“We are so thankful we live in Australia where we are supported through the National Disability Insurance Scheme [NDIS] and Hearing Australia to improve Freya’s life.

“She is incredibly blessed and has opened our lives to the deaf or hard of hearing community. We have met so many families through our journey and we are forever grateful for our Freya and her special ears.”

Emily and Matthew are also inspired when they of Freya’s future, she will be able to hear, listen and speak like her siblings Arianna, Mateo and Emelia.

“Our hope for Freya is to rise above anything she will experience in her life and show that she is more than her hearing loss, eye impairment, anything,” Emily said.

“We will be there to support her and help her achieve whatever it is she sets her sights on.”

Charlie is always up for a challenge or a game - at just eight years old he is an all-rounder with a love for rugby, swimming, soccer, chess and stem activities.

When Charlie was six years old, he had an accident, falling out of a tree and suffering a head injury, with fractures to the bones in his middle and inner ear. This left Charlie with a profound hearing loss on his left side, a diagnosis his family were not expecting.

“I think it would be fair to say we were bewildered and shocked. We had no idea what this diagnosis meant for Charlie or how we would help him. We had no real understanding about the path we were about to travel,” said Jacqueline, Charlie’s mum.

During this challenging time, Hear and Say was front-of-mind for Jacqueline and her husband Matthew, having already been to the centre a few years prior.

“Charlie had a number of speech disorders as a young child. He had speech therapy when he was four-years-old at Hear and Say, as well as occupational therapy,” said Jacqueline.

Going back to an organisation they knew could help felt like a good place to start their family’s journey.

“We started by educating ourselves, monitoring Charlie's progress and accessing the support and wisdom of families in a similar situation.

“During this time Hear and Say was pivotal in presenting information, answering our questions, arming us to support Charlie and advocating for him.

“Hear and Say made us brave,” said Jacqueline.

The next big step was deciding that a cochlear implant would be the best approach for Charlie.

“Since our decision to go ahead with a cochlear implant, Charlie’s journey has been smooth and progressive with the assistance from Hear and Say.

“Just months after receiving the implant, Charlie is understanding conversational language through the device and is eager to do his listening homework so he can directly stream the TV to his cochlear implant.

“He used apps for his listening homework, they were based on levels and scores which really motivated him. He progressed quickly from the apps to listening to podcasts through his cochlear and then watching TV shows like Pokemon,” said Jacqueline.

On reflection, Jacqueline says the experience was better than she expected, and was impressed by how well Charlie adapted to his new situation.

“It has, at times, been emotional and daunting but in hindsight so much smoother than we originally anticipated.

“Charlie’s love of sport has helped in his recovery and resilience, he always throws himself into any sport or challenge that he can, and now this includes his hearing journey,” said Jacqueline.

It was important to Jacqueline and Matthew that their son be connected to the world of sound.

“We wanted to enable him to be who he was always going to be.

“We never wanted to take anything away from Charlie. Reconnecting him with the world of bilateral sound allows him to continue to engage with friends, to confidently participate in sport and to maintain his passion for learning like he previously has.

“It gives Charlie the opportunity to be in charge of his learning and where that will take him in the future,” said Jacqueline.

Lily has represented Queensland for gymnastics, swimming, and athletics. She is also passionate about music, song writing, travel and raising awareness for hearing loss.

“I was diagnosed with profound hearing loss when I was 11 months old. My parents suspected that something was wrong because I wasn't speaking or reacting when they’d call my name,” said Lily.

Today newborn babies in Australia have their hearing tested while in hospital, but when Lily was born this process was not yet introduced.

Lily had surgery for her first cochlear implant on her right side when she was one year old, followed by one on her left side at eight.

Lily’s hearing devices have made a huge difference to her life and who she is.

“Without my cochlear implants I wouldn’t be able to experience the true feeling sound brings to me. Being able to hear my loved ones talk to me, listening to my favourite artists or TV shows and so much more. Hearing allows me personally to connect with the world.

“I use the Bluetooth feature on my cochlear implants to stream music almost every second of each day. I find comfort in music, it’s like having a coffee in the morning for me,” said Lily.

To get the best outcome from hearing technology, recipients are encouraged to do specialised speech therapy to learn how to listen through their cochlear implant or hearing device. Lily and her family came to Hear and Say for speech therapy as well as audiology services to program her implants and keep them up-to-date.

“Without Hear and Say my life wouldn't run the way it does now. I wouldn't have had the same opportunities that I’ve had, and I might never have known some of the people who are now in my life.”

While reflecting on the path her life has taken, Lily shares some insight on her schooling experience.

“I got questioned frequently when I was growing up, and this was something that I just had to accept because not everyone in the world is deaf, and not everyone knows what ‘those things on your ears’ are.

“When people asked questions or showed an interest in learning about cochlear implants it made me feel heard, which is something that every person who is deaf wants.”

Along with these questions from her peers, Lily was also grateful for the teachers she had at school.

“Every teacher that wore the FM system would always say ‘I feel like a rockstar’.

“When I just started high school, one of the first bits of homework that everyone except me got, was to research what cochlear implants were and we then talked about it in the next lesson. I’m not sure what the best part about that was, people learning something significant about me and other people who are deaf, or the fact I didn’t have to do the homework!”

Growing up, Lily also spent a lot of time at gymnastics, going to training almost every afternoon.

“Gymnastics was my second home and the people there were my second family.

“People would wonder what it was like being deaf and doing gymnastics, I found it hard to answer this because for me, I didn’t know anything else.

“The hairstyles were one noticeable difference though; I could only wear my hair certain ways so that my cochlear implants stayed on. Every mum with a sporting kid knows the ‘tuck the implant under the hair’ trick or the need to resort to headbands.”

Putting the vast quantities of bobby pins aside, Lily found her hearing loss to be a positive addition to her sporting career.

“I always try to look for the beauty in everything in my life and being a gymnast, I was able to promote hearing loss and disabilities in an extreme sport.”

Taking this positive outlook with her, Lily is now teaching the sport she loves.

“I’ve worked as a gymnastics coach ever since I stopped participating in the sport myself and I absolutely love it. I even coached kids who were deaf which made it even more special.”

Looking ahead, Lily has big dreams for what her future might hold.

“My dream is to work in the entertainment industry. I’d love to become a manager for an artist, have my own record label in Australia and build an international company.

“Another dream of mine is to become an advocate or influencer to spread awareness and educate people about being deaf.”

As Lily shares her story, she has some quick pieces of advice for new parents who have just found out their child is deaf.

“When your child grows up a bit and you’re having an argument, those hearing devices will not be staying on! We will take advantage and choose not to hear you yelling.

“In all seriousness, please be optimistic and patient, do not ever hesitate to seek help from experts, ask as many questions as you need and be prepared to learn a lot.

“The process will be challenging and emotional but one day your child will be so grateful for what you did for them. It will all be worth it.”

Bláthnaid loves playing with her kitchen and dolls, and her “babies” are very well dressed and fed! At two-years-old, Bláthnaid has many strings to her bow, she also enjoys playing on the trampoline with her brother and has a passion for music.

“She absolutely loves music, she will sing along to songs and dance whenever she hears a beat – everything from Metallica to the music on a TV ad,” said Vicki, Bláthnaid’s mum.

When Bláthnaid was just four days old her parents were told she failed her newborn hearing screen.

“From there, we had lots of referrals to various testing appointments. When she was around eight weeks old, it was flagged that the hearing loss was more than ‘just birth fluid’ and it was looking like a sensorineural hearing loss, with one ear having a more significant loss than the other,” said Vicki.

“I think ‘shock’ sums it up in one word! But as soon as we knew some things started to make more sense. She was very hard to settle, especially in the car – of course, she couldn’t hear us talking to her, playing music, trying to calm her. Only holding her helped, which isn’t possible when you are driving the car,” she said.

“Although we knew very early about Bláthnaid’s hearing loss, and she was fitted with a hearing aid when she was four and a half months old, it wasn’t until she was six months old that we finally found out what had caused her hearing loss.

“She was born with a condition called congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV), which she had contracted in utero. Once we had that diagnosis, there was a lot more testing to make sure the virus hadn’t caused other problems, such as lesions in her brain and enlarged organs.

“As a mum, I blamed myself and started to question whether I had done something wrong. But, that doesn’t get us anywhere and it certainly doesn’t help Bláthnaid,” said Vicki.

In late 2020 Bláthnaid’s hearing loss progressed and she was diagnosed as profoundly deaf in her left ear, and the hearing in her right ear continued to fluctuate. Following a series of testing, in June 2021 she underwent surgery for a cochlear implant for her left ear.

“The change in her speech and development has been amazing to watch. Despite having to make such a terrifying decision, it was definitely the right thing to do,” said Vicki.

During their journey the family had started to come to Hear and Say for hearing tests, weekly speech therapy and after the surgery, cochlear implant programming too.

“Hear and Say have helped us through the transition from hearing aid to cochlear implant, they supported us to develop our knowledge around the changes in technology and also the additional speech supports Bláthnaid needed,” said Vicki.

“We want Bláthnaid to live a happy life where her speech and language is developmentally on track with her peers, so that she can attend a mainstream school with her brother. We chose to have the cochlear implant fitted and undergo so much speech therapy so that this is a reality,” she said.

“When she is older, Bláthnaid might choose not to wear her cochlear implant and embrace the Deaf community, but we wanted to give her the options so she can choose herself.”

Fourteen-year-old Vivek most definitely fits the bill of an allrounder, he loves all kinds of sport, from cricket to soccer and even volleyball; he also enjoys music, playing the piano and signing in the choir at school. Additionally, in an almost unheard-of turn-of-events for a teenage boy, Vivek likes everything to be neat and in order, including his desk and room… no complaints from his parents here!

When Vivek was one year old and living with his family in India, he was diagnosed with profound hearing loss. As newborn hearing screening was not commonplace it took 12 months before the family received this diagnosis.

Vivek had an eventful start to his life – getting his cochlear implant at one and a half years old, and then moving to Brisbane shortly after.

“A frantic Google search for cochlear implant support brought us to Hear and Say. Being new to the country, in very unfamiliar circumstances, the support and understanding we received from the team was a blessing to say the least,” said Bindu, Vivek’s mum.

“I get goose bumps every time I drive past the original centre location; I tear up when I tell the story of how we found Hear and Say and the wonderful staff that helped Vivek to hear and speak.

“From responding to puppets playing hide and seek at our cochlear implant programming sessions, to learning cooking vocabulary in speech therapy lessons, Vivek blossomed through those initial years,” said Bindu.

At three years old Vivek got his second cochlear implant.

“Despite delays in getting his first and his second implant, Vivek was vocal and ready for kindy by the time he was four years old.

“We were lucky once again and had extremely supportive and diligent kindy teachers. Vivek continued to build his vocabulary, stringing words into sentences, he also learnt to count, sing and write,” said Bindu.

Thanks to the hard work of his family, his cochlear implants, and specialised speech therapy, Vivek started school at five years old, alongside his peers – in fact he was the youngest in his grade.

Vivek continued to grow confidence, speech, comprehension, reasoning and his ability to advocate for himself.

“There are so many things we are so proud of Vivek for, when he spoke at the Power of Speech event at the National Press Club in Canberra at six years old, when he spoke at the International Audiology Conference in Brisbane with Graham Clarke (inventor of the cochlear implant) in the audience, seeing him take part in choir, excelling at debating at school, being a Student Ambassador in year six, going to camps independently, and his participation in swimming,” said Bindu.

Bindu reflects on the importance of being able to hear, and what this has meant for her son.

“It is hard to imagine what life would have been for Vivek without the excellent support he received from Hear and Say by way of audiology programming, specialised speech therapy and guidance on using cochlear implant correctly,” said Bindu.

“Hear and Say will always be Vivek’s life-long partners. The impact they’ve had, especially the love, care and professionalism of the staff, was evident when Vivek recently expressed a desire to consider audiology as a career option.”

Newly graduated from a nursing degree, a lifelong drive has shaped 21-year-old Jessica’s professional goals.

“I have always had a huge passion for helping others, and worked in disability support and nursing for over two years while finishing off my studies,” said Jessica.

“I’ve just started a new job as a registered nurse working in complex disability care, in a residential facility with an amazing group of clients and an awesome team. It’s been great so far, and I feel blessed to be able to continue working in this area following the roles I took on while at university.”

Jessica’s aspirations also drew on her own experiences with the health community, including having developed a hearing loss in childhood which resulted in Jessica wearing a hearing aid in her left ear and attending Hear and Say for specialised speech therapy.

“Thanks to the support I’ve personally received from both professionals and my loved ones over the years, I’m able to clearly listen and speak. This has given me an immense number of opportunities in terms of both my career and general life,” said Jessica, who in between work loves playing football, going to the gym, visiting the beach and spending time with family.

“Throughout high school I was like any other kid, and I have been able to communicate at university and now progress into the career of my dreams.”

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With many of his loved ones living interstate, not being able to hear well on the phone wasn’t an option for Brisbane grandfather, Michael Dullahide.

“My daughters and grandchildren all live in Melbourne, and so we rely on regular catch ups via the phone or FaceTime,” explained Michael.

However, an increasingly noticeable hearing loss had begun to frustratingly interfere with these cherished conversations.

“I’m now retired, but I suspect that it was long periods working in a noisy industrial environment together with getting older which have been responsible for my hearing loss,” said Michael.

“It was infuriating not to be able to participate fully in some conversations, especially with a number of people like a family event, or when trying to listen to my grandchildren.”

It was then a chat with a friend who had faced similar issues which put Michael on a path to reclaiming the sounds he’d thought may be lost forever.

“I was one day discussing the health problems associated with ageing and in particular, my hearing issues, with a friend, when I discovered she had had similar concerns. She had sought advice from Hear and Say about her hearing and was extremely happy with the outcome.”

The conversation led Michael to make an appointment at Hear and Say’s Ashgrove clinic, a decision he regarded as “life changing”.

“Now that I’ve had hearing aids fitted, tuned to my ears and have worn them in all types of conditions and environments, I too am very happy with the results,” said Michael.

“There was no stress involved in the process. It began with an informative meeting with my audiologist, including extensive testing of my hearing quality in both ears which was documented in a comprehensive report. We then talked through a recommendation regarding the type of hearing aid best suited to my needs.

“I have also been impressed by several follow-up appointments, where my audiologist carried out a range of tests and ensured my complete satisfaction with the product.”

Michael’s new hearing technology has ensured he can get back to fully enjoying his vast range of hobbies including music, golf and hiking, and of course stay connected to his loved ones regardless of distance.

“It has all been worthwhile, and I now enjoy taking part in discussions within groups of people and having much more fruitful conversations with my grandchildren.”

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Despite the gruelling schedule of Year 12, working at a local pharmacy and keeping up with her favourite sports of hockey and tennis, when 17-year-old Saskia was asked if she’d consider being a mentor for younger children with hearing loss, she had no hesitation in saying yes.

“My recent involvement in Hear and Say’s COMET program, which teaches kids communication and problem-solving skills through fun activities, was the best three days I had on my holiday break,” said Saskia.

“Being able to meet so many children with hearing loss and listen to them share experiences was amazing, and the fact that I could relate so much to them when I was their age told me how important it is for all of us to help each other.”

Born just before the newborn hearing screening program was rolled out in hospitals, Saskia’s parents discovered her hearing loss when she was 18 months old. Saskia was quickly fitted with hearing aids, and due to the severity of her hearing loss went on to have a cochlear implant on her right side at three years old. She then received her second implant when she was 11.

“Hear and Say was like my second home growing up,” Saskia recalled.

“Their team have helped me to become the person I am today, not only in auditory-verbal [specialist speech therapy] lessons and audiology, but through their Group Social Skills programs and their ability to answer any question I or my family have had. Hear and Say feels like a second family, where I always know I can go and ask for help or guidance.”

Saskia said participating in the Group Social Skills programs over the years herself were some of her “most memorable experiences at Hear and Say”.

“From a very young age I always went to Hear and Say’s playgroup, and then later to ROCKET, COMET, STAR and Hear to Live, where I got to meet lots of kids my age with hearing loss – even today I am still really close with some of them.

“Life with a hearing loss is not always smooth sailing, and we all have our bumps along the road. Coming back to the COMET program as a mentor meant I was able to share my past experiences about how I managed issues, or what I could have done better. The kids got to learn ways on how best to approach situations that might also come about in their life, especially at school, and allowed them to feel more comfortable in themselves.

“Volunteering at COMET also confirmed for me that I want to become a paediatric occupational therapist when I graduate from school, and use my own experiences to help kids with disability to live a happier life.”

Saskia said she was proud to give back to a community that had supported her so much.

“Being able to hear, listen and speak has honestly changed my life forever, and most definitely for the better! I have been able to go to the same school as my older sister, actively play a role within my cohort, and do things like listen to music, watch movies with my family and participate in sport.

“An overall message I would give to anyone with a hearing loss is not to let your hearing loss bring you down. Don’t let anyone have lower expectations of you, and surround yourself with the people who care and respect you for who you are.”

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We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of all the lands on which we meet, work and live, and pay our respect to Elders, past, present and emerging. We respect their continuing culture and the contributions Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples make through their resilience and strength.

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Acknowledgement of country
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of all the lands on which we meet, work and live and recognise that this land has always been and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land.

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