HELPING THE DEAF

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 49, 21 November 1932, Page 9

HELPING THE DEAF

Hard-of-Hearing League WORK BY FOUNDER The work of the New Zealand League for the Hard of Hearing has been made widely known by Mrs. G. A. Hurd-Wood, founder and honorary organising secretary, who has just completed a successful tour of the Auckland province extending over two months. The tour commenced with a public meeting in. Hamilton on September 20 and concluded in Pukekohe on November 15. Great interest was shown throughout the tour, and strong committees were formed with full discretion in devising ways and means of raising funds for the development of headquarters. In all 21 towns were visited, and committees were formed at Hamilton, Matamata, Te Aroha, Te Awamutu, Taumarunui, Tauranga, Rotorua, Gisborne, Opotiki, Whakatane, Te Puke, Waihi, Paeroa, Thames, Whangarei, and Pukekohe. During the tour many questions were asked about lip-reading, the method of teaching, and how long it would take the average individual to acquire proficiency. Mrs. Hurd-Wood stated that it would take the student at least a year of bi-weekly lessons to become efficient. ( It, like all other studies, required concentration, patience, and perseverance. One of the suggestions made on the tour was that of Dr. De Castro, of Te Kuiti, who asked if it would be possible to hold a concentrated course of lip-reading lessons for persons who could get to Auckland for one month. Mrs. Hurd-Wood made it clear that though a working knowledge of the subject could be obtained by attending this course of lessons, continued practise and study at home would be necessary- in order to become lipreaders. To Illustrate the need of a league of this kind, letters have been received from all over New Zealand from people afflicted with deafness expressing gratitude for the efforts which are being made on behalf of the deafened and hard of bearing. Throughout the tour Mrs. HurdWood has been accorded the support of the medical fraternity and the whole-hearted sympathy of ministers of all denominations; the committees have also included representatives of business, social and welfare organisations. '