The experts around us never spoke much to us about them and we could not work out whether this was because they did not know much about them, were not keen on them or did not think an implant was the best way forward for Jeremy. Since his early school days, the value of signing had been emphasised and ironically, it was a profoundly deaf teacher who asked us directly about his aural development and what were we doing about it. The tension we felt with some professionals over wanting to help Jeremy speak as well as sign was a source of distress to us. It sometimes seemed that because he was profoundly deaf he must sign, be with other deaf children and aural development and mixing broadly was of secondary importance.

Without doubt, Jeremy did need sign language and he didn’t mind using it at school or home but he never liked us using it when we were out. Communication became even more stressful during these occasions. Fortunately at the time when it was discovered that his top frequencies had dropped, his annual check at Nottingham was due. I think it was at this appointment that Jeremy said to the professor, ‘I want speech!’ When the professor said he could have a cochlear implant it was music to my ears. We had been waiting eleven years for this! Of course we had to go through the thorough screening before it was definitely agreed but our new journey had begun. These were exciting joyous times with a fair bit of worry, exasperation and anxiety thrown in.

Amidst all this, as mentioned we were looking into Jeremy’s next school. Another defining moment was soon to arrive. Each time he moved school, we were always keen to persuade the head teachers of the advantages to the hearing children, of having a deaf child amongst them. It was not just what the school could give to Jeremy but what he could bring to the school. Fortunately Jeremy was being educated at a time when some educationalists believed integration of special needs children was valuable in some situations.

We were considering several possibilities when Jeremy asked about going to the same junior and senior schools his brothers had attended. Their dad worked in the senior part. We had never considered this because it was a private school which was quite academic with no experience of disability apart from dyslexia and providing Jeremy with his classroom support would be difficult or impossible. Encouraged by a few friends and after careful thought, we decided nothing ventured nothing gained and approached the headmaster. He was prepared to see us and give Jeremy an interview assessment. He could see that Jeremy would respond with what the school had to offer and that he might prove to be a useful member of their football squad! So if classroom support could be provided he was willing to accept Jeremy. Now we had the formidable task of persuading the local authority to agree the school and provide the support. After a huge effort we won through.

Jeremy’s desire to have friends and his love of sport helped him settle into his new school. Also his junior school Teacher of the Deaf (ToD) had prepared the school well about Jeremy and deafness and, with many doses of good humour, the new ToD won over any remaining doubting teachers once Jeremy had started at the school. Meanwhile, the consultations and tests needed prior to implantation continued apace. We could tell some experts had doubts about the implant for Jeremy as he was happy, doing relatively well and an older child. So far implants had been given to very young children so would the implant be of benefit to Jeremy? Would he like the new sound? Also we wondered whether some of the doubters were sympathetic to the signing community who were unhappy about cochlear implants. So it was thought, ‘Why rock the boat?’

With Jeremy involved as much as possible, all the issues were looked at and we remained convinced that to receive an implant was the best way forward for Jeremy because he was so eager to talk and participate in the hearing world. So in his second term at his new school when he was twelve years old, Jeremy received his CI., the first of a group of older children to be implanted. All the wonders spoken about by other families ensued; hearing footsteps, rain on windscreens, the wind in the trees and so on. His education carried on in the same way using sign, speech, lip reading, adapting the curriculum, one to one sessions, classroom support, speech therapy plus advice and help from the CI implant team. Support from home also continued. We felt this was essential for Jeremy’s progress. It was very hard work but at the same time rewarding.

Gradually Jeremy’s speech began to gain ground and sign was used less. He was very happy with his new friends and managed to communicate with them even though they did not sign. His ToD was very good at supporting him and his class teachers and helping him integrate into the school. This ToD was very good with both adults and children and had a great sense of fun.

All the time Jeremy was at school he kept up other activities like Beavers, Cubs and football. Fortunately these groups were willing to have him even though they did not know anything about deafness. They were willing to take on board Jeremy’s communication needs and the Beavers and Cubs learnt a few simple signs; he was helped by some of his school friends who also went along. We also kept up contacts with deaf groups and Jeremy sometimes went to their events but he became increasingly reluctant to join in with them, so in the end we gave up trying to persuade him to go along. I kept up some contact as I felt it was important and was on a committee to do with education in the area. Jeremy did enjoy the Teenz United events run by the Ear Foundation at Nottingham. It was beneficial meeting other cochlear implant users of a similar age.

Jeremy’s real passion was football. When he was tiny he did not object to running around with his body aid on and somehow he learnt the rules and how to play. Having two older brothers must have helped and he could hear the whistle and shouts when players were near to him. If the coach wanted to tell Jeremy something he would ask a player near him to either get his attention and tell Jeremy to look over at the coach, or for that player to tell Jeremy what was wanted.

We used to remind Jeremy to keep looking around as to where players were and over to the coach. Fortunately coaches with all players use a lot of hand gestures and pointing! Progressing to post aural aids was obviously beneficial. Very occasionally one of these might come off or an ever present problem was one or both breaking down because moisture had got inside the mechanism. The added worry with this was that as we had no spares they might not dry out overnight, even in a dry pack, so he would be without hearing the next day at school. However he wanted to wear them as they helped him keep in touch with the game. We didn’t want the players and coach getting fed up with him not being able to hear anything so we encouraged him with this preference. We didn’t want him to be dropped from the squad. We knew there was football for the deaf but there was so much more scope in the hearing leagues.

Playing any sport is of value for its own sake and the football in the hearing leagues, as well as keeping him fit, gave him confidence, helped his listening and communication skills, helped him make friends and taught him some geography! He soon learnt names of countries, capital cities and flags! Only a few coaches openly expressed reservations about his deafness. Their main concern seemed to be about the hearing aids (maybe they were worried about them getting damaged) but we quickly reassured them. Once Jeremy had his implant and with still using a PA in his other ear, the latter giving him directional sound, he could hear far more easily on the pitch. This combination definitely helped him as he progressed in the game. Problems with moisture and keeping the CI and PA on still remained. Using cling film and a sweat band only partially solved the problem. A stronger magnet in the coil part of the device helped to keep it in place.

Part three coming soon...

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