Jacob’s story

Read Jacob's story

"Hi, my name is Jacob. I have bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, often caused by damage to structures in the inner ear or auditory nerve. I have been profoundly deaf since birth, with my hearing loss identified very early through a new-born screening test.

"When my parents were given my diagnosis, they were understandably upset and concerned for me; right from the start they wanted the best support for me, and for me to have a fulfilling future.

"When I was 3 months old, The Elizabeth Foundation came into all our lives. We were first greeted by the Founder and then Chief Executive, Shirley Metherell MBE. From that first meeting, my parents knew that this was the right place for me and for them to get practical help and guidance.

"As a baby, I initially started wearing hearing aids, but they didn’t prove very successful for me and didn’t enable to me access sound well.

"Just before I was two years old, I had a life changing operation to have a  Cochlear Implant fitted in my left-side ear. A cochlear Implant can be a good option for people like me who have severe hearing loss from inner-ear damage  and who are not able to hear well with hearing aids. Unlike hearing aids, which amplify sound, the cochlear implant bypasses damaged portions of the ear to deliver sound signals to the hearing (auditory) nerve, thus enabling better access to sound.

"I loved it at The Elizabeth Foundation, spending time with my Teachers and Teaching Assistants (Mary, Jane and Rachel), who together with Shirley, led me and my family through the specialist baby, toddler and preschool programmes.

"The Elizabeth Foundation team taught me to listen and to speak, and gave my parents  a place where they could get support  and guidance about hearing loss and communication development. It also allowed them to talk to other parents with deaf children in the same position as me, to ask questions and to learn how they could help me every day.

"My most significant memories would be when the “police days” happened; this is when The Elizabeth Foundation invite professionals in the local community to come into the class to talk about their work and have fun with the children - helping to develop a better understanding of the world around us. I got to turn on the police car's sirens and was actually able to hear them! I also remember snow days and trips out to the farm, as well as having to brush our teeth after lunch and having our own tooth brushes.

"When I left The Elizabeth Foundation, able to listen and talk, I was fortunate to attend mainstream primary and secondary schools. I’ve always faced barriers caused by my hearing loss and especially within busy environments; school has been no exception, but I have been lucky to have brilliant Learning Support Assistants and Teachers of the Deaf, who regularly checked on me and how I was doing.

"Secondary school was definitely a challenge for me to overcome, but the developments in technology helped changed my life for the better. I worked hard at school and was successful; I managed to achieve great outcomes, with good GCSEs. In Year 11, I even became Deputy Head Student. I then joined Sixth Form to study Health and Social Care, History and Graphics and became the Student Voice Assistant Leader, which I really enjoyed. I also introduced Disability Ambassadors at my School.

"Having these important roles helped me realise that I can achieve anything I want to. I have now finished Sixth Form and started University, training to become a Primary School Teacher with a focus on Special Educational Needs.

"Although I graduated from The Elizabeth Foundation some time ago, my family and I have always come back to see everyone, as well as involving ourselves as volunteers in charity fundraising events, such as Golf days, Christmas Nativity performances, Quiz Nights, Christmas and Summer Fayres.

"I have also had the honour of speaking at the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth’s ceremony making event when The Elizabeth Foundation was one of the Lord Mayor's charity beneficiaries.

"Now, I am a regular volunteer at The Elizabeth Foundation, including sitting on the alumni team that speak to parents of very young deaf children during the annual Summer Programme. This is a wonderful opportunity to talk to parents about what it is truly like to grow up as a deaf person, the challenges we face and our proud achievements.

"I want to give back all I can after all the support the charity have given to me and my family. I know that my family and everyone at The Elizabeth Foundation are proud of me and they have supported me to become the person that I am today. I am forever grateful to them.

"I’m very much looking forward to the future, backed by the strong message that I have grown up with and that is to always use my disability as an ability!"