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Deaf girl Alana, 10, shares hearing journey at Commons event

BBC Alana and Amanda BurtonBBC
Alana's mum Amanda said she her daughter "loves to read and write"

A deaf 10-year-old girl who learned to talk and hear through the help of a charity has shared her story at the House of Commons.

Alana, from Alderton, near Tewkesbury, was diagnosed as deaf as a baby but has been able to hear since she was five due to cochlear implants.

She "blossomed" thanks to listening and speech therapy with Auditory Verbal UK (AVUK), said her mum Amanda.

Alana said the charity's work had "made a big difference".

The 10-year-old was invited to the Houses of Parliament after winning a writing competition as part of a campaign called Hear Us Now.

Alana Burton
Alana said she was "very excited and a little nervous" when she performed her piece at the event on Tuesday

"Without them (cochlear implants) I can't hear anything which is very useful for when I sleep but otherwise it would be a bit more than nuisance," said Alana.

"Most of the time they (AVUK) helped me when I was little just because that's when I really needed help and it made a big difference," she added.

Alana's mum Amanda said she it was devastating to be told her daughter was deaf, but she has made incredible progress since then.

"I'm incredibly proud of her. It's ten years now since we were in hospital being told she was deaf and if I could have seen what she's like now I wouldn't have had all those worries," she said.

"She was wearing hearing aids and trying to say words but missing parts of them before we went to see AVUK, but within the first week I could tell it was going to make such a huge difference. It's just amazing," added Ms Burton.

Anita Grover
Anita Grover, of AVUK, which works with deaf babies and children in the "critical" first few years of their lives

AVUK chief executive, Anita Grover, joined the family at the event to send its message to the government that all deaf children should have the same opportunities in life as others.

Ms Grover said: "It's important for us to challenge perceptions of what deaf children can achieve. Get the right support and children can have an equal start and then the opportunities in life become transformed.

"The government should recognise every deaf child deserves to be able to achieve their full potential and it's important to invest in programmes that work."

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