Written by Diyaa Joshi

The significance of a strong support system, in shaping one's life, became evident during my visit to Cochlea, Pune. While observing a lesson on hearing and speech, I noticed students who struggled to vocalise certain sounds, which sparked my curiosity. Upon speaking to a staff member, I learnt a compelling story about two students with deaf parents.

The first student, excelling in the class, had a deaf family but a strong support system with a large extended family. Regular verbal communication with uncles and aunties outside of school further increased her progress in speech. The joy of witnessing her articulate sounds highlighted the impact of her extensive support network.

In contrast, the second student struggled to pronounce sounds, which revealed the lack of a strong support system. Despite having the same school education as the first student, there was a noticeable difference in their ablities to speak. Due to both parents being unable to verbally communicate with her, she didn't have the extra practice to apply and consolidate what she had been taught. Not having that vast support system had a huge impact on this girl's life and witnessing her struggles was heartbreaking.

This experience led me to reflect on my own life, and I am grateful for having an immense support system, consisting of my family, friends and the wider community. Without their support, I may not have been able to travel, have this freedom, education, lifestyle and be in the position I am in today. Therefore, I will continue to remind myself of this, throughout my life.