Going down the memory lane, I remember the day when we faced a harsh truth which shook mine and my husband’s life. It was when we got to know that our little princess could not hear like the rest of us. We were told she would require hearing aids for the rest of her life.
The question for which we were unable to find a solution was ‘why us’, ‘why our Saloni ‘? We could not accept the truth. We approached astrologers, pandits, and many other clinics and what not. At the end of the day we would feel embarrassed and grieve about it.Read More
She was 6 years old then. Her loss was bilateral and moderately severe. She had picked up speech, had started her schooling in Naval Public School but was slow in studies. Her energies were not being channelized properly and we were in total dismay. She was given pocket hearing aids which she used off and on. It was an uphill task to make her understand sounds and interpret them for her.
I would like to share an interesting incident here. Back then, we met a lady in Lajpat Nagar, Delhi who was accompanied by her little son wearing a BTE. I was hesitant initially but gradually started discussing about the hearing issues. She said something which cleared our misconception: ”Before the child can accept, it is the parents who need to accept the hearing aids and he/she should wear it all times to be in the real world”. The lady we were fortunate enough to meet was Mrs Nagpal (Nitin’s mother) who introduced us to ‘SUNIYE’.
The very first Suniye meeting that we attended was an eye opener for us. How besides hearing aids the child needed speech therapy was the first lesson that we learnt. Having met Parvathi madam (a humble soul), Mr. Sudharshan Vaid, Mrs. Priya Arya and other members of executive committee who worked tirelessly in the affairs of ‘Suniye’ we were now sailing in the right direction. All were great motivation for us. We got a chance to speak to the parents whose children had same concerns. This gave us immense support, confidence and a lot of information.
Saloni started with speech therapy sessions at ‘Suniye’ School and was benefited to a great extent. As I had another child to look after, I could not actively participate and started teaching phonetics, sounds, alphabets, words, and small sentences myself. We tried to keep her in speaking environment as far as possible. Her speech improved dramatically and so did her vocabulary and attentiveness. She started soaking up new information like a sponge and was eager for more.
In the meantime when Suniye had organized a cultural presentation by Padma Shri Shovana Narayanan, Saloni expressed her desire to learn dance. Parvathi madam as a keen motivator introduced us to Mrs. Kodhai Narayanan who became Saloni’s dance guru. Under her training, Saloni performed Bharatnatyam solo in Suniye’s annual event. Later she also took part in various skits and plays. She acted in the play ‘Pied Piper of Hamlin’ as a Mayor. She had gained a lot of confidence and gone were the days when she feared the stage.
Saloni completed her schooling and college from various schools in Delhi, Bangalore, Jaipur and Ahmedabad as we were on transfer every 3 years. This gave her a lot of exposure. She was a good student throughout. She completed her MBA from S.K.I.P.S Ahmedabad and later cleared SBI entrance. She is presently working as a Customer Associate in State Bank of India and is posted in Bangalore. She manages Front Office Operations and is fluent in English and Hindi.
For us, parents of hearing impaired children, time is very precious. Instead of grieving about the child’s disability we should start looking for the solutions to help the child .We have to make the best use of the residual hearing as early it can be so that they get the speech right with correct hearing aids. It is a matter of immediate action and attention as language and communication skills develop rapidly before the age of 3. If the hearing loss goes undetected children get delayed in developing these skills.
To sum up I would say that hearing people have the ability to remove barriers for the hearing impaired and help them achieve their dreams.
Shefali Soni
Mother of Saloni Soni, former student of Suniye
Saloni Soni is now a Customer Associated in State Bank of India, Bangalore. She manages their Front Office Operations and is fluent in English and Hindi.
