The aim of Deafblind Awareness Week (website) is to raise awareness about deafblindness and also to increase the support for deafblind people and their families across the country.
Hearing Dogs for Deaf People’s work is intrinsically linked to deafblindness through the Charity’s dual-dog programme. These are dogs jointly-trained by the Charity alongside another UK assistance dog organisation.
Many Dual Purpose dogs are trained to assist those who have lost both their hearing and also their sight. They are subsequently placed with deaf-blind recipients.
The 2011 Awareness Week’s theme is ‘journeys’. Without the right level of support, deafblind people can struggle with the simplest of journeys – however, dual-dogs can help remove some of that pressure.
Kate Fenwick (pictured), 55, from Cheltenham – one of the charity’s dual-dog recipients – talks candidly about her ‘journey’ and how dual-dog Flo has changed her life:
Kate has a congenital condition called Flynn-Aird Syndrome which has caused her to progressively lose both her sight and her hearing from the age of eight. Over 25 years she has benefited from five guide dogs, but her hearing deteriorated so much that she found she was struggling to hear even with the most powerful of hearing aids.
Enter dual-purpose dog Flo.
Flo is a Labrador cross Golden Retriever, and was bred by Guide Dogs. After a period of training with the organisation, she then came to Hearing Dogs for Deaf People to learn how to alert to various household sounds. In June 2008 she went to live with Kate, and has had a huge impact on her life since they became a partnership.
Kate said: “Flo has given me a lot more confidence when I’m out and about. If the fire alarm goes off in a shop she will alert me and the staff can see that I need assistance, so they will guide me out of the building. When I’m on the bus, I’m no longer the blind lady who doesn’t answer when people talk to me. Now people can see that I’m deaf as well and are responding to my needs. All this means that I am much more relaxed when I go out independently.”
In addition to making people aware of Kate’s dual sensory loss, Flo’s hearing dog training has given her a very important role in the community.
Kate added: “We once had a spate of burglaries locally. On the evening of the first one, Flo alerted me in the middle of the night, but I thought she just wanted to go out. However, I found out the next day that there had been a burglary two streets away and the police had caught the person hiding in my shed. A few days after that, Flo alerted me twice in the night – once at midnight and then at 4.45am. Again the police told me that a house close to me was broken into at midnight, and the police had attended at 4.45am - so Flo was spot on. Now the police have asked me to dial 999 if Flo alerts me in the night, and have told me that having Flo has made me much safer than the other residents in the street.”
Having Flo has also really helped Kate feel more relaxed, and like hearing dogs, dual-dogs continue to offer an untold level of companionship.
Kate added: “Although I was able to go into town with my guide dog before I had Flo, I didn't interact as well with other people as they didn't realise I was deaf.
“Flo is a wonderful companion - there is never a dull moment. She is quite a character and makes me laugh a lot. I feel less lonely because she is around. She makes me feel safer from unwanted intruders and when I go out she is a real icebreaker – people will come up and talk to me and they want to know all about her.
“When Flo’s been out in the garden, she alerts me to let me know that she’s in again so I don’t shut her out by mistake. She tells me when the post has arrived or even when the ice cream van is in the road! She is very good at sensing when I need something, and she paws my bed at night to say goodnight to me. If I’m in a large gathering and feeling a bit lost, I don’t worry - just knowing Flo is there reassures me.”
Like many dual-dog recipients, Kate sees her future as a very positive one and a journey which she can face with enormous optimism.
She concluded: “Flo has made an enormous difference to my life. I feel so much more confident both in the house and outdoors. She helps me not only by guiding me and alerting me to sounds, but also by changing the way people at large respond to me.
“I would say the work of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People and Guide Dogs is vital to individuals with sight and hearing loss. If I didn't have a dual-dog like Flo I would be lonely, isolated and would be unable to get out and about. Flo is a wonderful companion.”
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