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Look at Me

Eleanor is 2 and a half. She's deaf. We have known she was deaf since she was 5 months old. We don't know if she was born deaf due to her prematurity or if something happened during her rollercoaster NICU ride. Either way you wouldn't know by looking at her. Normally her hearing aids are hidden by her hair I've just emphasised them in this photos to highlight Deaf Awareness week.

 

"This week is Deaf Awareness week. In the UK there are almost 9 million deaf and hard of hearing adults of which nearly 7 million are severely or profoundly deaf.

 

1 in 1000 children are deaf at the age of 3 and currently there are around 20,000 children who are moderately to profoundly deaf covering the ages of 0-15 years old. Only 12,000 of these children were born deaf.

 

It is important to raise awareness, never underestimate how being Deaf can affect somebody's life. Just learning the alphabet in sign language, or learning how to speak clearly, facing the person you are speaking to, can make a huge difference. Being patient, innovative and calm also helps.

 

The NDCS have announced that the theme for this year's Deaf Awareness week is "Look at Me".

 

"This theme aims to improve understanding of deafness by highlighting the range methods of communication methods used by deaf children, such as sign language and lip reading."

 

The RNID provide a completely confidential "Check your hearing" test. Give it a go, it may be the best thing you did. See www.rnid.org.uk/howwehelp/hearing_check/take_online_heari...

 

For more information about what you can do to help Deaf people, or where to go if you're worried about your hearing, see the following links:

 

www.ndcs.org.uk/

www.rnid.org.uk

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Uploaded on May 3, 2010
Taken on May 3, 2010