The history of our Society

My daughter Lyley was diagnosed as being profoundly deaf. Her condition was investigated and she was subsequently referred for hearing aids, primarily to check on the level of Residual hearing. She still had low frequencies; the tests established that her low frequency hearing was also profound. I investigated the alternatives available to improve Lyley's hearing and put her forward as a candidate for a Cochlear implant. At 20 months old she was successful implanted with all 22 electrodes. We were offered only two forms of communication namely B.S L. or total communication. In order to make the best choices and decisions for Lyley, I undertook a great deal of research of study and eventually my investigations led me to the John Tracy Clinic in Los Angeles.

Realizing that no comparable advice was available in the UK, so my family and myself traveled to Los Angeles where undertook a three week Oral Educational Programme. The classes we attended were of great value for Lyley and us all as a family. This however, was just the beginning and led to further research and studies into a Auditory Verbal approach and plasticity of the brain to find the best means of communicating language to Lyley. Developing a programme for Lyley using all of these techniques has led to a successful rehabilitation program. I now want to share the wealth of experience and knowledge that I have gained throughout this process with you all.