March 1-7 marks Hearing Awareness Week, a time to raise community awareness of hearing loss and ways to protect your hearing.
Marked by the theme ‘Hearing care for ALL‘, Hearing Awareness Week calls upon governments to integrate ear and hearing care into national health plans.
In the spirit of this global campaign, Telethon Speech & Hearing is highlighting a number of individuals in our organisation who bring excellence, inclusivity and a wealth of knowledge to their roles and make our centre such a delightful place for our families and children.
By raising awareness of these important educational and healthcare roles, we aim to take stock of the current status (or lack thereof) of hearing care support available in our community and be a source of inspiration towards improving the lives of those impacted by or at risk of hearing loss and ear diseases.
Today’s highlighted staff member is our Teacher of the Deaf, Simon Tomlinson:
- About my role at Telethon Speech & Hearing
Simon: I am the Teacher of the Deaf who supports students enrolled in both St. Pius X Catholic College and Servite College Outpost School Support programs. I also work one day a week at Wembley, working on projects that support the school’s programs and its executive team. A recent project I worked on was to coordinate the implementation of a technology application, Schrole Cover, at Telethon Speech & Hearing. This automated and streamlined the business processes around getting relief staff. In total, I have been with Telethon Speech & Hearing for nearly 13 years and like everyone who has been here a while, I have done few different things over that time!
- Something I’m looking forward to in 2021…
S: At St. Pius, we are in the process of implementing a life skills practical program to complement a student’s mainstream academic curriculum. This is in line with their needs profile and learning style. For example, we are going to design, purchase, create and maintain a herb garden. This is exciting as we are hoping it will engage the student educationally and provide a plethora of learning activities and opportunities. I am also engaged in helping new Year 7 students settle into Servite College and learning about them which is always very positive and productive work.
- The most common question I get asked is…
S: By students – “Can you help with…?”; By staff (if our IT team are unavailable) – “How can I do [xyz] with my laptop?”; By friends outside of work – “So can you do sign language?”
- In my role, I am most passionate about…
S: Student welfare together with their social and emotional growth and wellbeing.
- About my favourite sound
S: I have a few – the sound of a kids soccer team cheering success is a nice one (for them 😊). Lots of different types of music. My own kids having a laugh about something. Insects in the bush when you are remote and wild. Lots of different sounds.
- My thoughts on helping improve “Hearing Care for All” for people at school
S: We could run a program teaching all classes about the dangers of protracted loud noise exposure through headphones and potential permanent deleterious effects on hearing.
Learn more about Telethon Speech & Hearing’s Outpost program and our school locations around Western Australia, click here.
Continue to visit our website from March 1-7 for more amazing stories and insights from our dedicated team at Telethon Speech & Hearing. Visit the World Health Organisation website for more information about how you can support the global call for action against hearing loss and promoting ear/hearing care across the world. #HearingAwarenessWeek #Hearathon2021 #WorldHearingDay #HearingCare #SafeListening
