Dorset Deaf Children's Society

 

In addition to our Senior winner Owen, also nominated in the Senior category were:

 

Dominic Dziubinski was nominated by Sam Bealing, Advisory Teacher Hearing Support Service for the amazing progress he has made, for his increased confidence and raising deaf awareness in his school and being a fantastic role model. He has made significant progress with his language skills and has persevered to improve his levels and knowledge and in the last two school years he has made three and half years’ worth of progress, which is a huge achievement and demonstrates how hard he has worked. He is much more willing to have a go at new things and will ask for help if he is not sure. He has been keen to learn BSL. He has much more recognition and confidence in his own abilities and will always try to work out the answer on his own without support. He has worked hard to understand his deafness and share this with other students and adults, In the summer term he lead an assembly for Deaf Awareness Week where he planned, prepared and delivered the assembly to his entire year group explaining about deafness and teaching some BSL signs. I was immensely proud of his willingness to stand up and share this and the way he handled himself and answered questions.  He is growing into a delightful person, polite, keen to chat and is willing to work hard. 

 

Fraser Kellaway was nominated by Jamie Bartlett, Advisory Teacher Hearing Support Service for the determination and perseverance he has shown in managing his hearing loss. Frazer is a very likeable young man. Over time he has tried several different types of hearing aid fitting, moving from standard ear moulds to skeleton ear moulds, and more recently to hearing aids with a thin wire and a soft dome in his ear. Getting used to new equipment and different sensations can be really difficult, but Frazer has kept trying to find something that works for him. He finds school challenging, and wearing his hearing aids regularly has not always been easy. Even though he has really struggled at times, he has not given up. He continues to try, even when progress feels slow or things do not go as smoothly as he would like. He also finds audiology appointments quite anxiety provoking, but he keeps attending and working through them. This takes a lot of courage, especially when appointments can involve tests that he feels uncomfortable with. Although he is not yet wearing his hearing aids as often as we would like, he is still trying, and that effort deserves to be recognised. It would have been very easy for him to give up, but he has continued to persevere despite the challenges he faces. His resilience and willingness to keep going make him a very deserving nominee for this award.

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​​In addition to our Junior winner Jack, also nominated in the Junior category were: 

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Ebony Barnes was nominated by Sarah Joyce, Advisory Teacher Hearing Support Service for the progress she has made with learning BSL. Ebony cannot speak. She has only been learning BSL for 18 months and she is now able to communicate more effectively and is less frustrated. She can say what she wants and needs and is calmer and happier at school. She has surprised us all at her willingness to learn and the progress she has made has been fantastic.

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Barney Bell was nominated by Dawn Wrench, Advisory Teacher Hearing Support Service for his excellent ability to explain his hearing loss, how his aid helps him and why. He has become more resilient and independent and is able to articulate how wearing his hearing aid in school helps him. This is a huge personal achievement and he helped to deliver a joint INSET to his new Year 6 class teacher and TA. He has also impressed with his commitment to his Park Runs and has now taken part in more than 50 runs. He has raised money for charities with his runs demonstrating thought, care and empathy and has also appointed a Run Marshall demonstrating that he is an excellent advocate and supporter of other runners. This is to be applauded as in 2022 he shared that he did not enjoy PE and hated PE and sports. He has blossomed and flourished. He is an excellent role model.

 

Mila Harvey was nominated by Teresa McCabe, Advisory Teacher Hearing Support Service. Two years ago Mila would completely refuse to wear her aid for any length of time. Over the past two years she has shown immense perseverance and determination. She pushed through her initial resistance gradually increasing the time she wore her aid. It has been a privilege watching her transform. She has worked so hard to develop her listening and attention skills, truly embracing her hearing loss at such a young age. Her dedication meant that she didn’t just learn to tolerate her hearing aid – she learned to thrive with it. Where communication was once a hurdle, Mila developed the confidence to express herself and clearly advocate to adults whenever she had an issue. This September she has transitioned to ‘big school’. Today she is a proud, self-assured little girl who actively advocates for her own hearing needs.

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Fraser Perry was nominated by his parents Amy and David Perry for his outstanding self-advocacy and the peer support he has provided despite being only six years old. Prior to school he was a shy boy who found it difficult to speak to unfamiliar adults. Over the past few years he has become increasingly confident and now advocates for himself at school asking for noise levels to be reduced, requesting listening breaks, and asking for information of instructions to be repeated if he has missed something. He has developed a very positive deaf identity at school. What was most impressive was the kindness and support he showed to another child at school when she was fitted with a hearing aid. Her mother said he was a tremendous source of encouragement to her daughter, explaining how hearing aids work and how to look after them. He also helped her to learn how to put her hearing aid in independently. He has shown great maturity, confidence and empathy for his age by advocating for his own needs and helping another child adapt to life with hearing aids. He has become a positive role model and someone who proudly represents the deaf community.

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Kelsey Picket was nominated by her father, Matthew Pickett for continuing to grow in confidence, independence and determination and overcome obstacles and challenge herself in many different areas. She completed her Audiology Curriculum and achieved Bronze and Silver Audiology awards. She has continued to develop her confidence through performing arts and is starring in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with Phoenix Musical Theatre. She has been selected by her trampoline class to begin training to represent the Seaside Squad in competitions. She has also competed in her Gym Stars Gymnastics competition where she achieved third place in vault. One of her biggest achievements was having the confidence to cycle to and from school showing maturity and independence. She continues to push herself beyond her comfort zone facing obstacles along the way and continues to approach them with determination and courage.​​

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Reuben Sewell was nominated by Sarah Joiner, Advisory Teacher Hearing Support Service. Reuben has had such a positive start to his first year at school. He can find transition to new places unsettling but with the support of parents and teachers he has really thrived in his new school. He has settled well into the routine of school and has made lots of new friends. He engages with every aspect of school life and tries his best in everything he does. He is the most amazing, friendly and kind pupil and it is lovely to see him grow in confidence and really shine.

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Jesse Smith was nominated by Sarah Joiner, Advisory Teacher Hearing Support Service. In the autumn term 2025, Jesse was fitted with two processors at the Auditory Implant Centre. Ever since, he has been implanted, he has done so well at school. His developing listening skills have been excellent and he has engaged with many activities to support this. He is an excellent user of his processors and wears them for all waking hours. He has achieved so much in the last academic year, learning to listen again through his new processors as well as being fully involved in school life. He has had an amazing year at school despite many challenges. He has the confidence to wear both processors during the whole school day. This had such a positive impact on his learning and access to speech sounds. He has achieved so much in such a short time.

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Amy Toms was nominated by Sarah Joiner, Advisory Teacher Hearing Support Service for making such a great start to her first year in school. She loves school and has made lots of new friends in her class. She has been able to advocate for her needs and will inform teaching staff when her BAHA is not working or has run out of batteries. I am very proud of what Amy has accomplished in her first year at school and she is a delight to work with every time I see her. She has grown into a caring, sociable and incredibly kind pupil and it has been lovely to see her grow in so much confidence this past year.

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Charlie Toogood was nominated by Caroline Wood, former headteacher, family friend and current tutor for his kindness and compassion. He has faced significant challenges throughout his schooling and his deafness has made many aspects of school and learning more difficult. He finds reading, writing and mathematics particularly challenging. He never complains or uses his difficulties as an excuse. He is gentle, compassionate and accepting of other people. He instinctively looks for the best in people. He is curious about the world and is passionately interested in history and science. There is a thoughtfulness and sensitivity to him that cannot be measured in a test or captured in a school report. What is admired most is that the difficulties he has experienced has never diminished his enthusiasm, curiosity for compassion for other people. His achievements are found in the challenges he has overcome, the determination that he continues to show and his curiosity about the world and the way he treats other people.

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Maggie Withey was nominated by Dawn Wrench, Advisory Teacher Hearing Support Service for her excellent ability to explain her specific hearing loss, her new audiological equipment, and support that helps her and why. Also for successfully trialing a BCHA (USAIS) and all the travel that entailed to Southampton; and persevering, when chronic ear infections and pain impacted on her daily existence. Throughout such external medical circumstances, coupled with daily oral/aural fatigue and physical fatigue and pain management she maintained at all times a “joie de vivre”, kindness to her peers, and politeness to all staff; and positive approach and application to all her academic studies and extra curriculum activities, including regular swimming classes out of school.  She continues to develop and maintain happy and secure peer friendships. She was congratulated for being articulate explaining to her new Year 6 teacher and TA during a bespoke INSET delivery on how her new bilateral MEDEL Adhear Sound Processors work. She is an excellent role model.

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Well done to everyone who was nominated!

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