Deaf kids need your help! New hearing centre will change the lives of children and adults with cochlear implants.

A few years ago The Hearing House was based in a beautiful old villa in Greenlane, Auckland. But so vital and in demand were our services that we began to burst at the seams as the number of deaf children referred to us for therapy after receiving their cochlear implants increased.

We urgently needed a new centre. We had a dream to change people's lives and last year we started constructing that dream.

This facility will be where the lives of hearing-impaired children will be transformed. And in 2018, we are also going to welcome adults who have, or need, cochlear implants to the centre.

We are excited that construction is well under, way but we urgently need your help. The Hearing House Centre is costing $8 million to build and will help us better meet the needs of deaf children and adults. So far we have raised more than $6 million. We need your help to raise the remaining money.

The 1000sqm centre will feature therapy rooms, audiology booths, a community meeting room, a family room and a sensory integration room. Construction began in July 2016 and will be complete by November 2017. We are still fundraising to help close the gap on the total bill.

Young William is among the hundreds of children and adults who will benefit from this new centre.

He’s a typical three-year-old – a daredevil, fiercely independent, resourceful, and a real doer – traits made all the more impressive by the intense three years he has endured.

William, born to Trish and Angus, failed his new born hearing screening test with test results showing a profound hearing loss in his right ear, and a mild loss in his left ear.

Angus says they were upset at the news, but the Auckland couple’s approach was to “just get on with it”.

The family was referred to The Hearing House and William started attending therapy and received a cochlear implant.

Angus says helping William learn to listen and speak has been challenging.

“But now he talks - a lot. He has a lot of phrases and is able to let us know what he wants. I put that down to The Hearing House.”

Angus says he and Trish are thankful that they have been in a position to benefit from all the treatments and specialist attention that William has received.

“I hate to think what it would have been like otherwise. It’s made a big difference.”

Angus says William is making the most of life.

“He’s a daredevil, very independent and very resourceful. He’s definitely a doer. He’s very positive about life. He’s resilient – he just gets on with it and makes it happen. Maybe that has something to do with everything he has been through.”

The expansion of The Hearing House will also enable us to take on 450 adult clients in early 2018. This is thanks to a partnership with the University of Auckland. The Hearing House will be providing a life-long service by offering the expertise of our staff to adults who need, or have, a cochlear implant. The aim is to get adults who have suffered a sudden or gradual hearing loss, and are now severely or profoundly deaf, back into the work force, back into their social circles and into society as a whole.

Many of them may have slipped into an isolated situation because they aren’t able to hear what is going on around them. They will have missed out on important conversations and family moments, work opportunities and social experiences simply because they can’t hear. Our services will give their hearing back to them so that they can once again participate in life to the full.

Please join us as we work to fund this purpose-built facility, and provide more deaf children and adults with specialised services, and a future with the gift of sound and the spoken word.