A challenge to try deafness on for size
On Friday 21 September, Tamara Jones won’t be able to hear what members of the Dannevirke community want.
Which is ironic, given that Dannevirke Hearing Support exists to help those in the community who have problems hearing.
Sounds like a set up for a Monty Python farce when you learn that manager Tamara fields requests from people who are hard of hearing, and on Friday the McPhee Street office will resound with repeated cries of ‘What? Pardon? What did you say? Can you please repeat that?’
Wearing big orange earmuffs to work is all part of the Silent Leadership Challenge, initiated by Hearing New Zealand in 2013 to educate and help people empathise with those who experience problems hearing properly on a daily basis.
“It’s one thing to think you understand how being hard of hearing affects people, but it’s a whole new level to experience how it actually feels,” Tam said.
“I know I have to speak clearly and repeat myself a lot, and on a busy day this is can be difficult.
“But once I’ve taken part in the Silent Leadership Challenge, I hope it fosters a new level of patience within me.”
The National Foundation for the Deaf estimates one in six people suffer from some form of hearing loss.
In the Tararua district, this translates to almost 3000 people.
That’s a large number, and something Tam believes that a day of frustration wearing earmuffs will help, as the Silent Leadership Challenge is a fundraising effort for her local branch of Hearing New Zealand.
She wants people to support those with hearing loss by making a donation and spreading the word about the Silent Leadership Challenge to help keep the local branch providing vital services such as referrals and advocacy.
More information is at silentleadershipchallenge.everydayhero.com/nz/hearingdannevirke or ring 06 374 7137.