I WRITE regarding the recent article about Paul Clark who was banned from an animal sanctuary because he is deaf.

I was disgusted and angered by this story.

I have been profoundly deaf since the age of eleven and that is some 30-odd years. I have just completed a university course on psychology and hearing studies, so what I write is expert information.

Deafness is an invisible affliction which, earlier this century, was regarded as a form of insanity because of the language barrier. Children learn speech through imitating others and a deaf child cannot imitate. This does not mean that the deaf individual is not intelligent!

Such children grow into adults with speech difficulties. The sounds made by these deaf individuals often frighten others in our society because it is not "the norm."

As your readers are aware, humans are pack animals. So could they imagine, for even one minute, living in a silent world when all around is noisy and bustling with activity, having no fellow humans (but a few who "sign") to communicate with.

In such circumstances there would be no bonding with any hearing person. Paul Clark bonded with injured, feathered friends, who needed kindness, love and gentle handling back to health. He seems conscientious, hard-working and capable. Why did this charity not enquire about environmental aids available for the deaf person?

Aids such as flashing lights, vibrating pagers and minicom phones could have helped Paul to have a place in the hearing community.

I am sure that local organisations such as the Soroptimists, Round Table or Rotary would have provided any funding necessary.

Does committee secretary Jean Stewart realise what psychological damage may have been caused to Paul and to other disabled people? Paul's self-esteem and confidence must have been damaged.

My ambition is to go into schools, clubs and other public gatherings and educate them about deafness. Hearing loss and deafness can happen to anyone at any age and at any time, but why are some people afraid to admit it and others afraid to accept deaf people as equals?

The future would be brighter if more information was made available and integration improved between hearing and hearing-impaired people.

If I can be of any help, or can pass on information, I would be only too pleased.

MARION ANN ALDERSEY

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.