| About Hearing Dogs for Deaf People | Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is a registered charity that selects and trains dogs to respond to specific sounds. Hearing dogs alert deaf people by touch, using a paw to gain attention and then lead them back to the sound source. For sounds such as the smoke alarm and fire alarm the dogs will lay down to indicate danger. Seventy four per cent of all hearing dogs adopted into the scheme are either rescued or unwanted and since its inception in 1982, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People has placed nearly 1000 hearing dogs. |
A giant coffee morning was held in the Corn Exchange, Ipswich, organised by staff of the nearby Hearing Care Centre, to celebrate Deaf Awareness Week in May.
 | | Balloon release in Ipswich |
Karen Finch, head of the Centre, who is president of her professional body, the British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists, has already raised £2,500 towards hearing dog sponsorship in the past year. Eight hundred balloons were released by Chris Mole, MP for Ipswich, assisted by Karen Finch and the guests of honour Trevor and Jean Larke, of Bury St Edmunds. Trevor has been deaf since birth but says his life changed when he got his hearing dog, Megan, four years ago. Since then he has devoted his life to helping the Hearing Dog society and recently obtained his NVQ Level 1 in Community Development on the strength of this work.
 | | Trevor Larke with Megan |
The celebration of Deaf Awareness Week was supported by local businesses too, staff from Barclays Bank, the Woolwich Building Society and Asda all went along to help. “We always have an open week when people with hearing difficulties can come into our Centre in the High Street, for free hearing checks,” said Karen Finch, “but we wanted to do something additional this year.” Also at the event was Sheila Hill, of Kesgrave with her hearing dog, Bouncer. She’s been profoundly deaf for 32 years and says when she got Bouncer nine years ago, it gave her back her self confidence. |
