News and Stories

What first began as a short-term job in a small school, working with students facing additional needs, evolved into a treasured 26-year career for Sunshine Coast teacher aide and librarian, Kath. Kath’s passion for supporting children to reach their educational outcomes helped fuel her initial interest in Hear and Say years ago, which from its Nambour-based centre was working with many children with hearing loss around the Sunshine Coast and beyond. “As an existing supporter of Hear and Say I was well aware of just how much wonderful work they do and their contribution to ...

Sarah is a Townsville mum to three beautiful girls. Having a hearing loss has impacted Sarah’s life in many ways, and when her second child, Naomi was also diagnosed with a hearing loss it brought up all kinds of emotions. “It was initially pretty rough, as my husband, Daniel and I already knew Naomi had Down syndrome and were coming to terms with that, and then we found out she also has a hearing impairment,” said Sarah. “However, as emotional as I felt to start with, becoming connected with services like Hear and Say and meeting people who are on similar journeys was comforting ...

From dancing, craft and swimming, to attending kindy four days each week, three-year-old Riley has plenty of things to keep her busy. Born with hearing loss in both ears, Riley’s family moved to Australia from Namibia early last year and joined Hear and Say soon after. Riley comes in each week with her mum, Vicky, for listening and spoken language therapy lessons, as well as the LEAP group social skills program. “We are very proud of how Riley is making wonderful progress in her speech, language and listening development – she is using phrases and short sentences to communicate ...

Tim is the father of three outgoing teenagers: Ruby, Ned and Milly. Ruby and Ned also share more than just the bond of being siblings – they both have hearing loss. In an effort to support a charity very close to his family’s hearts, Tim is pushing his limits and swinging from the Goodwill Bridge for the third year – and is urging others to join him. “Hear and Say have been a huge part of our lives since 2004 when we discovered our eldest daughter, Ruby was deaf, and again with the birth of our son, Ned in 2005,” said Tim. “We met Dimity Dornan who reassured us that ...

Hearing Awareness Week highlights the importance of people of all ages taking control of their hearing health – something Tina, age 80, can well attest to.     As one of the growing number of Australians living with hearing loss, Tina felt unsure about the options available that would best suit her active lifestyle, and enable her to continue hearing the sounds of the hobbies she loves – dancing, bushwalking and looking after her two rescue dogs. “I had been to an appointment with another hearing provider, and even after numerous follow-up phone calls, I was ...

Two and a-half year old, Layla loves story time, painting, hanging out with her cousins and going to the beach, but at the very top of the list is being a new big sister to baby Matilda. Born with a hearing loss in both ears has not stopped Layla from being extremely outgoing, right down to using her hearing aids as a statement fashion accessory. “For a while, I was struggling to keep Layla's hearing aids in her ears, as she kept pulling them off,” recalled Layla’s mum, Carmen. “One day I looked online and discovered a shop selling charms to accessorise hearing aids and ...

When grandfather, Dennis McLaughlin decided to investigate the hearing issues that had been bothering him for years, he was already well-acquainted with the team at Hear and Say. Dennis’ granddaughter, Lyla was born four years ago with the rare conditions of microtia and atresia, affecting the formation of her outer and inner ear. “We had no prior knowledge of these conditions, and were understandably very concerned with what the future would hold for Lyla and our family with regards to her treatment,” recalled Dennis. “However, we could not have hoped for a more ...

From the roar of a football match to the bustling noises of an overseas food market – a world of dull hearing was hard to imagine for 32-year-old, Cameron. A primary school sports teacher by background, Cameron was diagnosed with otosclerosis at age 14, a form of abnormal bone growth within the middle ear that causes progressive hearing loss.   “My hearing was getting to a point where I was struggling – I was getting embarrassed asking people to constantly repeat themselves,” recalled Cameron.   “Awkwardly laughing to cover up the fact that I hadn’t ...