WORK FOR DEAF COMMENDED

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30975, 3 February 1966, Page 12

WORK FOR DEAF COMMENDED

(New Zealand Preu 4s«ociation>

AUCKLAND, February 2.

A plea to publicise the work of the New Zealand League fot- the Hard of Hearing was made by the Dominion president, Dr. J. Aitken Paterson, when he opened the first national conference of vision and hearing testers in Auckland today.

There were 40,000 to 50,000 adults in New Zealand suffering from hearing defects. Dr. Paterson said. Unfortunately the wort of the league touched only about 5 per cent. Dr. Paterson told the 30 Department of Health testers who had come from various .parts of New Zealand that 1 their work in testing the sight and hearing of school children was very important in the field of preventive medicine.

It allowed early diagnosis and treatment. There were about 30 teachers of lip-read-ing in New Zealand, and age was no barrier to instruction. Dr. Paterson said.

At a recent meeting he had met three women over 90. all proficient lip-readers, and each had learnt when over 80. The two-day conference includes discussion of a manual for testers prepared by Mr R. F. Patchett, psychologist at the National Audiology Centre, Auckland, and talks on industrial deafness by Dr. IJ. Coppiestone, Assistant

Director of the Division of Public Health, and Dr. A. C. Miller, Deputy Director, Division of Public Health.