Hearing is believing

By Paul Pickering
BORN profoundly deaf, Sian Neame’s 19-year life journey has made the Ferntree Gully resident a veritable poster child for the hearing impaired.
At the age of two, Ms Neame became the first person ever to have a cochlear implant after being born profoundly deaf.
Speaking on the eve of Hearing Awareness Week last week, Ms Neame said the decision to undergo the world-first surgery was not one that her parents made lightly.
“There was a whole process of what to do – whether I would get a cochlear implant or consider signing,” she said.
“But my parents were so determined to be able to talk to me that they decided I’d get the cochlear implant.”
Performed at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, the procedure was a resounding success, allowing Ms Neame to live a happy and normal childhood.
Ms Neame says her hearing was so drastically improved that she had very few problems during her schooling, only needing a note-taker to allow her to concentrate on her teacher’s instructions.
Having completed her VCE at Aquinas College, Ms Neame is currently completing a Bachelor of Design (Interior Design) at Swinburne University in Prahran.
Last November, the advancement in bionic-ear technology encouraged Ms Neame to have a second cochlear implant.
“The second one was my choice,” she said.
“As I got older, I became more aware that I felt very limited – if I was in a group situation I could miss a lot.
“For my future career as an interior designer, and having clients, I wanted to be able to get as much information as possible.”
Ms Neame says her new implant has far exceeded her expectations of up to five per cent improvement in hearing.
“It’s a lot quieter and I’m noticing a big difference in social settings like nightlife and uni,” she said.
Ms Neame says it is no coincidence that she has developed such a passion and aptitude for the field of interior design.
“I’m very creative and I think being deaf has heightened my sense of the visual,” she said.
The outgoing 19-year-old says that a lack of knowledge makes some people unsure how to approach those with hearing problems.
She said that Hearing Awareness Week, beginning on Sunday, 19 August, is one of the ways that the broader community can overcome some of the misconceptions about the hearing impaired.
More information on Hearing Awareness Week, including a list of Victorian events, is available at www.hearing-awarenessweek.org.au.