In September 2013, Australian Hearing established the Paediatric Program Advisory Committee (PPAC) to provide ongoing feedback on the services it provides to children, teens and young adults. Meeting four times a year, the PPAC discuss a wide range of issues – some of which are brought up by committee members and others by Australian Hearing. The PPAC consists of ten members; eight are parents of paediatric clients and two (including myself) are young adult clients.
We come from a variety of backgrounds including rural, regional, metropolitan and Aboriginal communities, and represent varying degrees of hearing loss. For me personally, the social side of this disability has been one of the biggest issues I’ve had to face and it’s motivated me to stand up for the rights of those who are hearing impaired. I’m honoured to be a part of this committee and to help spread awareness of just how valuable people living with a hearing loss can be. (More information about the committee members can be found here.)
Since coming together just over a year ago, we’ve provided feedback on a number of aspects in the Paediatric Program, including how Australian Hearing can help parents and teachers better understand hearing loss and the benefits of amplification.
We also held discussions on how to improve access to hearing aid repairs and troubleshooting. Throughout my time wearing hearing aids, I know first-hand what it’s like for hearing aids to stop working at the most inconvenient times. So, as a committee, we discussed how important it is for Australian Hearing’s clients to have easy access to loan hearing aids. It’s also essential that teachers and parents know what to do when a child’s hearing equipment go awry.
If you have any ideas that you would like the PPAC to discuss, we can be contacted at ppac@hearing.com.au. Please note that if you have concerns or questions about your individual hearing program, these should be raised with Australian Hearing directly.
On behalf of the committee, I wish each and every one of you a great end to the year and I look forward to providing an update on the December meeting early in the 2015.
Brendan Pearce is the Chair of the PPAC and a strong advocate for young people with a disability. Born with a moderate hearing loss, Brendan has been a client of Australian Hearing since 1997.