Upton mum aims to raise awareness of needs of deafblind people through charity Sense

Jun 25 2009 by Claire Devine, Chester Chronicle

Three-year-old Daniel has battled the twin handicaps of deafness and blindness all his life – now mum Helen is using his bravery to highlight the condition known as deafblind. Claire Devine reports

DANIEL Hall is like many toddlers his age - he loves cuddles, tickling games and nursery rhymes.

But his mum Helen has struggled to get help and support to understand his condition as a child who is deafblind and also help her son lead as normal a life as possible.

Now she is using the current Deafblind Awareness Week to raise understanding of the challenges faced by deafblind people.

Three-year-old Daniel, who has worn hearing aids since he was three months old and has limited sight, was born with severe hearing loss and bilateral optic disc coloboma.

He also had to have an operation to join his stomach and oesophagus so he could eat and he still has swallowing difficulties.

Mrs Hall, of Mill Lane, Upton, said: “Daniel’s condition is quite rare, The Cheshire authority said he was the first child in the area to have the condition for 16 years.

“In the past, Daniel wasn’t getting the specialised help he needed until Sense (a national charity for children and adults who are deafblind) got involved.

“People just didn’t understand how hard learning was for him.

“There needs to be clearer parent information out there.

“Sense helped to train local people to support Daniel and our family has helped raise money for the charity.”

Mrs Hall, a former midwife at the Countess of Chester Hospital who now teaches sing and sign classes, added: “Daniel goes to the Woodlands school in Ellesmere Port and spends one day a week at the Russett Community Special School, Northwich.

“He enjoys going to the Woodlands and the children have taken to him.

“We are lucky in that Daniel is a very happy little boy, he’s always giggling and is very laid back.”

For more information, go to www.sense.org.uk.