At first glance, Luca has a baffling collection of audiology equipment. But each item plays a specific and important role in helping him to integrate into the hearing world.

Luca has severe hearing loss, so he always wears BTE (Behind the Ear) hearing aids. Without these, his world is all but silent. He also has separate waterproof hearing aids for showering, swimming and water activities. This is as much for safety as it is for convenience – children need to hear adults’ instructions in potentially dangerous environments like water.

To combat the problem of background noise in group and social situations, Luca has a “Roger System” that includes Touch Screen Microphones (TSM’s), a pass-around microphone, a hearing aid receiver, an audio hub and a sound field speaker. This system is used daily in Luca’s classroom and his gymnastics, taekwondo and piano teachers all wear the TSM’s . The system gives the wearer/user of the microphone a direct link to the receiver fitted to Luca’s hearing aid, adjusting for the background noise and distance in the process.

Extra microphones can be worn by other teachers/support staff and a handheld microphone is often used by his classmates during group discussions and presentations. An audio hub allows a direct link from multimedia presentations to Luca’s hearing aids. An added bonus for the class and teacher is the sound field speaker, which projects modified audio out to the whole class. The biggest challenge is to remember to mute the microphone during private conversations!

This amazing technology is essential for Luca, he wouldn’t be able to learn without it. But ensuring Luca has access to it hasn’t been a simple task. His mum Lisa has worked hard to access all available funding. Luca’s family and fundraising have covered the rest of the costs, with your help.