Help me change their life with world-class hearing aids.

ABOUT ME AND THE CAMPAIGN

Hi, I am Suvitha, student of 4th year B.Tech Computer Science, VIT Vellore. My hobbies are reading books. I have always had a soft corner for children, and have been working for them rigorously since last three years. I would like to help one child born with hearing impairment restart listening with the help of a digital hearing aid. I along with a few other students of VIT have been visiting the Holy Cross Matriculation school and have got very attached to these kids hence the desire to help them. However, as a student, I will not be able to help many of them hence it’s my appeal to everyone to support me in restoring these kids hearing by providing them with hearing machines which cost around 21000 per piece.

A sum of INR 21,000/- can restore music to the ears of one deaf child.

CASE STUDY 

Lakshmi is a hearing impaired girl.  She was having a severely damaged ear and couldn’t speak at all. She hails from a gypsy family and both the parents were not aware about the gravity of this situation.

Lakshmi's deafness  was identified at the age of 5 by Holy Cross Matriculation school. She was given special attention for Speech Therapy and Auditory Training. The Therapist took a lot of effort by using various techniques to use her residual hearing sense and made her to understand the loud noise around her.  By helping her to use her tactual sense for producing the voice. The parents were spoken to about the various treatments and made to understand the situation.  

She studied from 1st to 12th standard with the school that follows the State board syllabus.  She was good in her studies. With our training she is able to communicate quite a bit through even oral language and through lip reading. After completing her 12th std, we got her an admission for B. Com in Presidency College, Chennai. After successful completion of B. Com, she pursued M.com in St. Louis College, Adayar, Chennai. Now she has graduated from the both college and is happily married to one of our students, who finished his diploma in ITI, and now is a carpenter.

She is a housewife now who is preparing for her Bank Exam.

WE NEED TO TRANSFORM THE LIVES OF STUDENTS LIKE LAKSHMI WITH EARLY INTERVENTION. GIVING THEM HEARING AIDS OPENS UP A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM AND CHANGES THEIR LIFE. LETS DO THIS TOGETHER.

HOLY CROSS HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED

Holy Cross Higher Secondary School for the hearing impaired, Sathuvachari, Vellore is a school and shelter home for children with speech and hearing disability. It was founded in the year 1982, as “Charitable Institute of helping hand” for hearing Impaired. They used to initially focus on providing food and shelter for children. Around 1986, they realised the potential that these children had and got them enrolled in a local matriculation school.

The children couldn’t cope in an English medium school because of their economic background and inability to grasp English. In order to help these children, in the year 1990, they founded a regular school which housed students up to 2nd grade. This school is run by the congregation of the sisters of the cross of Chavanod- Trichy Province. This institution was then recognised by the Social welfare department and the Commission for the differently abled. In the year 1994, the government finally recognised them and now they teach their children the regular syllabus. This school provides its students with free education along with special training.

In the following years, this school has grown from 2nd to the 12th standard and now it has a total of 110 children studying with them. As of May 2018, the school showcased 100% result for the 10 - 12th-grade children. These children have immense potential and we must help restore music to their ears.

ABOUT HEARFON SYSTEMS PVT LTD: THE HEARING-AID PROVIDER

Recently, I along with a few beneficiaries tied up with Mr. Kevin Ressul, who owns Sri Sai hearing solution, in Vellore to conduct an audiometry test for 60 children. Mr. Karthick is a trained audiologist from CMC Vellore and he helped us identify those 10 children who even now have the ability to hear if provided with hearing aid machines on time. 

The machine is selected depending upon the decibel requirements of the child. We are hoping to raise enough funds so as to help all 10 of the children. Some of them require machines for both their ears and some for just the right ear hence the need for 16 machines for 10 kids. Upon their advice, we contacted Hearfon Systems Pvt LTD. Dr.Krishna Kumar, CEO and  Managing Director of Hearfon wanted to help people with speech and auditory-related issues and so started his company in 1994 and now has expanded to have 7 centers. He has 6 in Bangalore and 1 in Mumbai. The company provides hearing aid machines across brands and have a special interest in helping the underprivileged. This the main reason why we partnered with them.

As students, it's very difficult for us to raise such an amount without your help. Hence, the appeal for support for this campaign.

Details of the Hearing Aid Machine model

Company: SEIMENS
MODEL: Intuis 3 SP
Cost including crowdfunding charges - INR 21000 per piece
Target- Each of us is raising funds for 1 aid. We need a total of 16 hearing aids.

FEATURES : 

Siemens Intuis 3sp BTE Model & Specifications

UNDERSTAND CONVERSATION

(1) Easily focus on what is really important.
Intuis 3 BTEs’ directional microphones pick up the sounds that will be amplified. They focus on the sound coming from in front of you while reducing noises from other directions. As soon as they detect speech, they activate their directionality mode so you can easily focus on your conversation partner, even in challenging environments where there is a lot of background noise.

EASY HANDLING

(2) All options at the tip of your finger.
The push button and/or the rocker switch on Intuis 3 BTEs let you easily and quickly change the program if your listening situation changes or adjust the volume.

(3) Full control in your hands.
The optimum hearing made simple, convenient and discreet: Whatever the situation, the touch Control App puts complete control of Intuis 3 in your hands. Change Intuis 3’s hearing programs and adjust the volume, bass, and treble to suit your needs. All you need is a smartphone

(4) Partners you can rely on.
Resistant to moisture, sweat, and dirt, Intuis 3 BTEs keep up with you even when you’re exercising or gardening

HEAR THE SPEAKER CLEARLY

(6) Listen closely, even at a distance.
In places equipped with an induction loop, the Telecoil or T-Coil function in Intuis 3 M, P and SP models help you understand speakers more clearly. Simply select the T-program.                                                                                                   

QUICK-CHANGE ARTIST

(7) Back on track in 3 simple steps.
The battery door on Intuis 3 BTEs can be effortlessly opened and closed so you can change the standard battery quickly and easily

STATISTICS ABOUT HEARING LOSS IN INDIA

Deafness means loss of hearing and it may be partial or total. Hearing impairment cannot be seen and hence its effects are not visible to others, so the deaf suffers in silence. The consequences for a child born with hearing loss are quite severe. It is well established that a child with hearing loss cannot develop speech and language abilities. This puts the child at a disadvantage in school, higher education, and limits future professional opportunities. The problem of the child deaf from the birth is quite different from that of the adult who has become completely deafened after school age or in adult life. In India, 63 million people (6.3%) suffer from the significant auditory loss. Four in every 1000 children suffer from severe to profound hearing loss. With over 100,000 babies that are born with hearing deficiency every year. The estimated prevalence of adult-onset deafness in India was found to be 7.6% and childhood-onset deafness to be 2%. In Indian households, it was found that hearing disability was the 2nd most common cause of disability and topmost cause of the sensory deficit.

Impact of hearing loss

• Functional impact

One of the main impacts of hearing loss is on the individual’s ability to communicate with others. Spoken language development is often delayed in children with an unaddressed hearing loss.

Unaddressed hearing loss can have a significantly adverse effect on the academic performance of children. They often have increased rates of grade failure and greater need for education assistance.

• Social and emotional impact

Exclusion from communication can have a significant impact on everyday life, causing feelings of loneliness, isolation, and frustration, particularly among older people with hearing loss.

• Economic impact

WHO estimates that unaddressed hearing loss poses an annual global cost of US$ 750 billion. This includes health sector costs (excluding the cost of hearing devices), costs of educational support, loss of productivity, and societal costs.

In developing countries, children with hearing loss and deafness rarely receive any schooling. Adults with hearing loss also have a much higher unemployment rate. Among those who are employed, a higher percentage of people with hearing loss are in the lower grades of employment compared with the general workforce.

Improving access to education and vocational rehabilitation services, and raising awareness especially among employers about the needs of people with hearing loss, will decrease unemployment rates for people with hearing loss.