Post by Paul on Dec 26, 2004 14:17:11 GMT 9.5
SHARON AND FRED
I rang the door bell at Sharon Whelan's home. A soft chime echoed through the house and almost immediately there was frantic barking from the interior. Fred, a black poodle, had heard the chime, checked to see if there was someone at the door then rushed back to Sharon bringing my visit to her attention. Fred barked continually until Sharon answered the door and greeted me, once she had done so,
Fred's barking abated and he set about the serious business of welcoming me to the house.
Sharon has suffered from hearing defects since birth but the problem wasn't identified until she actually went to school. Sharon's birth was difficult and at one stage she was deprived of oxygen which was given as the reason for her being slow to learn things during the early stages of her life. Beryl Whelan, Sharon's mother, told me how her daughter had passed an early primary school hearing test simply by imitating what the other children had done during the examination, that in itself indicates cleverness.
Sharon's hearing problem only came to light when one of her teachers discovered that when reading a story to the class, Sharon always positioned herself so that she could watch the teachers lips. Subsequent testing revealed total deafness in one ear and very limited hearing in the other. The problem identified, saw modifications in Sharon's education, still continuing her studies in normal schools and sitting in the front of the classes she attended. Having to work harder then the normal students so that she could keep up with her work, Sharon also had to battle against the ignorance and cruelty of some students. It's a sad fact of life that children can make life hell for those who are different and Sharon's case was no exception. Sharon to her credit, although hurt by the taunts and jibes, persevered and continued her education in the State school system until she obtained her leaving certificate.
After leaving school, Sharon first did voluntary work and then was employed in a sheltered workshop, hoping that it would lead to her independence. While seeming to be a good first step there were frustrating problems with the physically disabled, working with the intellectually impaired. Instructors regularly tended to treat all the workers as having diminished intellect often forgetting that some of their employee's intelligence was equal to their own. Sheltered workshops do a great job but for people like Sharon they are not the answer. Finally she left and returned to school to continue her education and took a computer course in her spare time. Sharon's quest for independence finally came in the shape of a black poodle called Fred.
Fred was special, not only because he was to become Sharon's ears but because he was the first of the puppy program at the Hearing Dog training school, dogs that were bred for the specific purpose of hearing. For the first 12 months of Fred's life he was fostered out with a normal family until he attained training age. Then it was back to school to learn how to become the ears for man.
Eighteen months after he was born Fred joined Sharon in her new home, not only was he to become her ears, but also her constant companion and very best mate.
Sharon is now happily settled in a job working for the Department of Social Security and yes, Fred goes to work with her. Fred it seems is an important part of the workforce, he's supposed to remain by Sharon but has imposed the task on himself to check the lunch room out several times a day. Sharon grinned when she told me how sloppy her colleagues were, they always seemed to drop food on the floor. If Sharon reprimands Fred for leaving his station she is usually told off by her workmates who like to have him around them.
While primary a Hearing Dog, when at work with Sharon he also doubles as a Therapy Dog. Aggressive and upset clients of the department have been introduced to Fred with surprisingly calming results, perhaps other Government departments should take note.
Fred is trained to identify the sounds of the phone, kettle, doorbell, alarm clock and the smoke detector. According to Sharon he also has a fine ear for the ice cream van and lets her know when it arrives in the street. It came as no surprise to me when I was told of Fred's self-development, identifying with Sharon's needs he has developed new skills. There is apparently an iron staircase which can only take one way traffic and the rule is, the person on the staircase has priority. Because of its design it is not possible to see if anyone is on the stairs so the users obviously listen for the sounds of climbing or descending feet. It took only a very few enforced return trips for Fred to realize that if there is noise on the staircase Sharon cannot use it, so he holds her in position until it's safe to go.
Sharon was cooking one day when the food began to burn and unfortunately she has no sense of smell. Eventually the burning food set off the smoke detector but Fred had sensed the food was burning long before it went off. Although trained to draw attention to the smoke detector Fred ignored it, his concern was to get Sharon outside and when he did, wouldn't let her back in again. Fred is trained to react to sounds but long standing instincts told him that a home filled with the smell of burning was no place for his mistress.
Sharon Whelan is a highly intelligent young lady who has battled a hearing defect all of her life. During our interview I ensured that my head was turned toward her while I was speaking and experienced no difficulty in our conversation. Yet I was sad to learn that because she is deaf some people had difficulty in relating to her. Sharon is not angry about that, but like me, saddened that some of our community find it hard to communicate with people like her.
Sharon welcomes attention to Fred providing people ask her first and is eager to explain to all, the benefits of having a Hearing Dog. Fred has provided her with a new independence and their shared love and affection for each other is obvious to all that will meet them
©Paul Springthorpe, Media Production Services. Extracted from, ‘It’s a Dog’s Life.’ All rights reserved.
I rang the door bell at Sharon Whelan's home. A soft chime echoed through the house and almost immediately there was frantic barking from the interior. Fred, a black poodle, had heard the chime, checked to see if there was someone at the door then rushed back to Sharon bringing my visit to her attention. Fred barked continually until Sharon answered the door and greeted me, once she had done so,
Fred's barking abated and he set about the serious business of welcoming me to the house.
Sharon has suffered from hearing defects since birth but the problem wasn't identified until she actually went to school. Sharon's birth was difficult and at one stage she was deprived of oxygen which was given as the reason for her being slow to learn things during the early stages of her life. Beryl Whelan, Sharon's mother, told me how her daughter had passed an early primary school hearing test simply by imitating what the other children had done during the examination, that in itself indicates cleverness.
Sharon's hearing problem only came to light when one of her teachers discovered that when reading a story to the class, Sharon always positioned herself so that she could watch the teachers lips. Subsequent testing revealed total deafness in one ear and very limited hearing in the other. The problem identified, saw modifications in Sharon's education, still continuing her studies in normal schools and sitting in the front of the classes she attended. Having to work harder then the normal students so that she could keep up with her work, Sharon also had to battle against the ignorance and cruelty of some students. It's a sad fact of life that children can make life hell for those who are different and Sharon's case was no exception. Sharon to her credit, although hurt by the taunts and jibes, persevered and continued her education in the State school system until she obtained her leaving certificate.
After leaving school, Sharon first did voluntary work and then was employed in a sheltered workshop, hoping that it would lead to her independence. While seeming to be a good first step there were frustrating problems with the physically disabled, working with the intellectually impaired. Instructors regularly tended to treat all the workers as having diminished intellect often forgetting that some of their employee's intelligence was equal to their own. Sheltered workshops do a great job but for people like Sharon they are not the answer. Finally she left and returned to school to continue her education and took a computer course in her spare time. Sharon's quest for independence finally came in the shape of a black poodle called Fred.
Fred was special, not only because he was to become Sharon's ears but because he was the first of the puppy program at the Hearing Dog training school, dogs that were bred for the specific purpose of hearing. For the first 12 months of Fred's life he was fostered out with a normal family until he attained training age. Then it was back to school to learn how to become the ears for man.
Eighteen months after he was born Fred joined Sharon in her new home, not only was he to become her ears, but also her constant companion and very best mate.
Sharon is now happily settled in a job working for the Department of Social Security and yes, Fred goes to work with her. Fred it seems is an important part of the workforce, he's supposed to remain by Sharon but has imposed the task on himself to check the lunch room out several times a day. Sharon grinned when she told me how sloppy her colleagues were, they always seemed to drop food on the floor. If Sharon reprimands Fred for leaving his station she is usually told off by her workmates who like to have him around them.
While primary a Hearing Dog, when at work with Sharon he also doubles as a Therapy Dog. Aggressive and upset clients of the department have been introduced to Fred with surprisingly calming results, perhaps other Government departments should take note.
Fred is trained to identify the sounds of the phone, kettle, doorbell, alarm clock and the smoke detector. According to Sharon he also has a fine ear for the ice cream van and lets her know when it arrives in the street. It came as no surprise to me when I was told of Fred's self-development, identifying with Sharon's needs he has developed new skills. There is apparently an iron staircase which can only take one way traffic and the rule is, the person on the staircase has priority. Because of its design it is not possible to see if anyone is on the stairs so the users obviously listen for the sounds of climbing or descending feet. It took only a very few enforced return trips for Fred to realize that if there is noise on the staircase Sharon cannot use it, so he holds her in position until it's safe to go.
Sharon was cooking one day when the food began to burn and unfortunately she has no sense of smell. Eventually the burning food set off the smoke detector but Fred had sensed the food was burning long before it went off. Although trained to draw attention to the smoke detector Fred ignored it, his concern was to get Sharon outside and when he did, wouldn't let her back in again. Fred is trained to react to sounds but long standing instincts told him that a home filled with the smell of burning was no place for his mistress.
Sharon Whelan is a highly intelligent young lady who has battled a hearing defect all of her life. During our interview I ensured that my head was turned toward her while I was speaking and experienced no difficulty in our conversation. Yet I was sad to learn that because she is deaf some people had difficulty in relating to her. Sharon is not angry about that, but like me, saddened that some of our community find it hard to communicate with people like her.
Sharon welcomes attention to Fred providing people ask her first and is eager to explain to all, the benefits of having a Hearing Dog. Fred has provided her with a new independence and their shared love and affection for each other is obvious to all that will meet them
©Paul Springthorpe, Media Production Services. Extracted from, ‘It’s a Dog’s Life.’ All rights reserved.
