On February 25th, as the world celebrates Cochlear
Implant Day, recognising the life changing benefits of
cochlear implants on the lives of people with severe to
profound hearing loss, the Pindrop Foundation is honouring
some of the outstanding individuals in the cochlear implant
community in Aotearoa New Zealand who have tirelessly
advocated for this life-changing technology, providing hope
to many.
One such person is Nikki Maloney from
Tauranga, who has been a dedicated cochlear implant advocate
for almost a decade. Her efforts were instrumental in the
first petition to the government in 2012, calling for
increased access to cochlear implants for deaf New
Zealanders. Nikki and other advocates met with the Health
Select Committee on the issue in October 2012, where she
shared her experience of deafness.
“By coming together
and supporting one another, this shows how we can help make
a difference in the lives of those affected by hearing loss.
It’s about never giving up. Change does come, but you have
to make your voice heard,” says Nikki.
Thanks to the
perseverance and dedication of the cochlear implant
community, funding for cochlear implants in Aotearoa New
Zealand has increased from 20 per year to 120 per year over
the past 10 years. This progress demonstrates the importance
of advocacy and the power of people coming together to
create a better future for those affected by hearing
loss.
Lee Schoushkoff, CEO of The Pindrop Foundation,
emphasized the importance of raising awareness about the
positive impact cochlear implants have on people’s lives.
“Cochlear Implant Day is a time to celebrate the advances
made in the field of hearing technology and to work towards
a future where everyone has access to the gift of
sound.
Over the past few decades, cochlear implants
have revolutionised the lives of hundreds of thousands of
people around the world, giving them the ability to hear and
communicate with the world around them. The device consists
of a microphone, a speech processor, and a tiny electrode
array that is surgically implanted into the
cochlea.
Read about the dedicated work of the cochlear
implant community and their achievements by visiting: https://www.pindrop.org.nz/community/ci-day-2023/
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