Monthly Archives: February 1998

Listening in

By Zubeida Mustafa

THEY were women from three generations, their ages ranging from twelve months to fifty odd years. As they met in the office of Dr Tahira Aleem, the audiologist at the Ida Rieu Centre for the Deaf and Blind, I could see that the infant girl’s future hinged on that crucial session. She was profoundly hearing impaired and since she had never heard any sounds since birth she could not speak either. As she snuggled in her mother’s lap, with an endearing expression in her eyes and quite oblivious to her  surroundings, the infant appeared to be at peace in her own world of silence. But how long would this peace last? Without the capacity to communicate, she would grow up severely handicapped in her shell of utter isolation. Continue reading Listening in