Sade wasn’t diagnosed as deaf until she was two years old, by then her younger sister Topaz had been born and tests revealed that she was also profoundly deaf.

The sisters both wear cochlear implants and work together with young children at an early year’s nursery and it is thanks to the Auditory Verbal therapy programme they attended when they were young which has allowed them to thrive and do the same things as their hearing friends and colleagues. Their parents found out about Auditory Verbal therapy by chance through internet searching.

Sade received her cochlear implants just before her third birthday and had already started the Auditory Verbal therapy programme while wearing hearing aids. When she started mainstream school she had age-appropriate spoken language.

She said: “I am so grateful for the support I received from AVUK as are my parents. I’m sure I wouldn’t have achieved just as much as I have without them.”

Sade graduated from Bournemouth University and loves working alongside her sister who also has cochlear implants and learnt to listen and talk with Auditory Verbal therapy. Topaz also graduated from the Auditory Verbal therapy programme at AVUK with spoken language on a par with hearing children her age.

Topaz attended mainstream school and loved sports including hockey, horse riding, running and skiing. She studied health and social care at college and even though her plans to travel were curtailed by the Covid pandemic, she still has ambitions to visit many different countries

Topaz said: “I have so many plans for the future and I have never once felt that my hearing loss holds me back from doing anything on my bucket list. I feel confident with all that I do and independent with new ventures and activities I undertake in life. I am so grateful to AVUK and to my parents and truly grateful to Sade for being there for me and showing me what can be achieved for us.

“My parents were afraid that both Sade and I may always live in our own bubble. They strived for us to do just as well as our hearing peers. I can honestly say, I do not think I would be where I am now if it was not for Auditory Verbal therapy and my inspiring parents. My parents speak often of the sessions I had, all those years back, they are eternally grateful for the support AVUK gave and the role the charity has had in our lives. My mum stills gets emotional when we talk about my plans and things I hope to achieve, and what I have achieved so far.”

Sade added: "I am proud to be deaf and proud of what both myself and my sister have achieved because of the support we had as young children with Auditory Verbal therapy and of course our family.

“AVUK supported my parents to exceed their expectations by giving them the knowledge and tools to help us learn to listen and talk. Challenging perceptions about the abilities and opportunities for deaf children and young people is so important to me, my sister, and our whole family. It really is time to raise expectation and change attitudes of what deaf children and young people can achieve.”

The sisters have also been inspired to continue dispelling the myths around deafness by meeting deaf influencer and proud cochlear implant user Tasha Ghouri.

Sade added: “People like Tasha not only inspire me but are also a public face proving being deaf does not have to be a barrier to success, goals and aspirations.”

And Topaz explained: “Meeting Tasha and her Dad was brilliant and hearing from her how Tasha she was supported to think and dream big as well as listening to her Dad’s experience of supporting his daughter to aim high has inspired both of us to continue showing just what we can do.”

 

Sade and Topaz