HARD OF HEARING

Northern Advocate, 31 May 1935, Page 6

HARD OF HEARING

; society’s Activities. [ [Special to "Nortnern Advocate”] ; WELLINGTON, This Day. ’ “It has been estimated that 9 per [ cent of the total population of the ! Dominion suffer from defective hearing. I do not wish to infer that all are seriously affected, but I want you , to realise that 10,000 people in this 1 country have a hearing impairment,” • said Mrs G v A. Hurd-Wood,, hon. 5 organising secretary and founder of [ the New Zealand League for the Hard of Hearing, in a talk given at : the Wellington Rotary Club’s lunch- ! eon. Mrs Hurd-Wood explained that the league was an altruistic organisation whose chief aim is to rebuild the 1 lives of the deafened and hard of hearing, and to help them to discover the surest way to surmount their handicap. At the present time the league’s work was with adults. Later they hoped to be able to co-operate with the New Zealand Government in the prevention of deafness in children. The league provided tuition in lip-reading, and encouraged its use by the deafened and hard of hearing, and recommended the use of hearing aids for those who would benefit by their use. After referring to the value of the social side of ,the society’s ‘activities, Mrs HurdWood stressed the fact that lip-read-ing was a means of increasing the wage-earning ability, lessened the nerve strain, was indirectly beneficial to the general health of the individual; in fact, it was the primary factor in the work of rehabilitation I of the deafened, and the first essen- j tial for the hard-of-hearing worker. The speaker said it was important j for all of those whose hearing was affected to consult a specialist without delay, as the deafness might be only of a temporary nature. The New Zealand society was, in touch with similar societies in other countries and received much infor- | mation and help from them. There I were numerous occupations open to those with defective hearing, but it was only through organisation that 1 the public prejudice against deafness 1 could be overcome. The hard-of-hearing worker often did his work better and faster than a hearing per- J son, and the society’s objective was to enable student members to com- 1 pete with the normal in the business 1 and social world. After referring to the establish- 1 ment of a branch of the society in 1 Wellington, of which Dr. G. W. Har- * ty is president and Captain Galloway is hon. secretary, Mrs Hurd- 1 Wood concluded by appealing to the Rotary Club for its support. c