Most people by now are familiar with Arrans story and how he began to lose his hearing at age 4 and where he is now. It's the third year in a row we have asked for donations for this charity and this year I wanted to take the time to explain what WSDCS means for us. Dealing with a diagnosis such as deafness for the first time was absolutely devastating for us and as many families will tell you it's a very lonely and bleak experience. We weren't given much, if any support or suggestions for help and not knowing what would his diagnosis mean for the future I was desperate for someone to talk to and help us. I found WSDCS through Google and social media pages and from the very first contact I had with them I knew we were in safe hands.

The first meeting we went to was a soft play visit for the children arranged and paid for by WSDCS and right away just seeing other deaf children and their parents made a difference to us. For Arran getting to spend time with his friends who are also deaf is just invaluable as he is getting to the age he can sometimes feel different or excluded. He has made amazing friendships and for us as parents just having someone who gets it is amazing.

As parents of a deaf child we are constantly having to push for support and appointments and our children are constantly faced with challenges. Currently our council are cutting Teacher of The Deaf posts which for children like Arran are a lifeline in a mainstream school. WSDCS always help us advocate for Arrans needs and provide help and support with all aspects of his journey. We now feel like part of the WSDCS family and we would encourage any parents of a deaf child to come along and see what it's all about. The staff are so supportive and do an amazing job.

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