About 5 per cent of the world’s population, that is 360 million people (according to the World Health Organisation’s 2016 figures) live with hearing loss, with nearly 32 million of them being children, said the Carel du Toit Trust.
The Carel du Toit Trust is a non-governmental non-profit organisation established in 1988 which works to realise their vision of a world where children who are deaf have universal access to early identification, appropriate hearing technology, audiological support, therapeutic services and ultimately functional spoken language.
Dr Diane Bell (PhD in Education, MBA) who was recently appointed as the Director of the Carel du Toit Trust said, “The vast majority of these children live in the world’s low-income and middle-income countries. In South Africa, approximately 6 116 babies a year (17 babies every day) are born with a hearing loss.
The way that humans perceive their world is mediated through sensory experience. Of all the senses, it is hearing which fundamentally facilitates communication and fosters social interaction, allowing people to forge relationships, participate in daily activities, learn, grow and develop as human beings.
“Two of the fundamental rights of all children, but especially of the most vulnerable and marginalised of all, namely children who are deaf/ hearing impaired, are the rights to quality education and access to information.”
On this Human Rights Day, 21 March, 2018, the Carel du Toit Trust and Centre calls upon the South African Government and all parts of society to work towards:
• ensuring that all children who are deaf/ hearing impaired have access to quality education, support for their unique communication needs, and access to information; and
• ensuring that all children with hearing loss have access to the required hearing technology, rehabilitation services and communication tools and products that they require to live a healthy, happy and productive life.
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